The Cegléd-Szeged railway line occupied an important position in István Széchenyi's proposal he presented in the parliament. The construction works began after the 1848-1849 revolution in 1851. The Government of Austria bought the Hungarian Railways and built the Cegléd - Kecskemét - Félegyháza - Szeged line. The part between Cegléd - Félegyháza was ready in 1853, the Félegyháza - Szeged part in 1854 and was opened ceremoniously. In 1855 the railways was sold to an Austrian private company under the name of Austrian State Railways, which built the Szeged - Temesvár line in 1857.

The railway-bridge of Szeged was opened for the traffic on 2nd, December, 1858. The station of the other line of Szeged, the Alföld Fiume Railways, was connected to the new line in 1870.

The Austro-Hungarian State Railway was nationalized in 1891 by Gábor Baross. The nationalized Cegléd - Szeged - Temesvár line played an important role in the MÁV network. Main and connecting lines connected the most important stations along the line. The express trains traveling on the Szeged line were pulled by the most up-to-date engines.

The heydays of the Hungarian Railways ended at the end of WWII. The Trianon peace pact brought a significant change in the history of the Szeged Railways. The new border cut across the lines south of Szeged. The reduction of traffic was counterweighted by cheap ticket prices.

In WWII the railway-bridge of Szeged was gravely damaged. The railway lines were restored after the war except for the bridge.

Beginning from the 1960s the modernization works, later from the 1980s the electrification of the Cegléd-Szeged line brought along significant development.