Abstract
Nowadays, sustainability is a term that has been analysed many times in public life, among the technical and social sciences alike, examined from several sides, but at least often voiced. In the study, in relation to the sustainability of a healthy human life, it is examined how railways and their historic preservation contribute to this. As the basis of the research, it was chosen the only standard-gauge railway line in Hungary that is under monument protection railway line No. 11 between Gyor and Veszprém. The research is based on the methodology of historical-architectural research: starting from the history of the railway, it explores its architectural and historical values, discusses the creation and importance of protection, and then tries to draw conclusions about the role of the railway line in sustainability by analysing social phenomena, and finally makes proposals for the role of sustainability regarding its increase. The novelty of the study is that it connects the ways of thinking of specialised fields that previously existed side by side. The purpose of monument protection is the preservation of values, which, according to the 20-th-century way of thinking, primarily serves cultural purposes. The monument protection of some parts of the analysed railway line clearly contributed to the preservation of the infrastructure. As an environmentally friendly and sustainable means of transport, the railway plays a prominent role in the healthy preservation of natural areas. This is proven by the history of the examined railway line.