Finally: Remaining two stops of Budapest M3 metro to be inaugurated next Monday

The renovation of the M3 metro line is completed. This means that Lehel Square and Nagyvárad Square will also be handed over to passenger traffic on Monday, 22 May, in the early afternoon. The two last renovated stations are stops of the M3 metro line with a special structure and significance.

These two stations had to be renewed in just a year

The reconstruction of both stations – Lehel Square and Nagyvárad Square – started on 14 May 2022. This means that they had to be renewed inside and out in just a year. During the reconstruction of the M3 metro line, passenger traffic was partially insured. The trains made turns at these two locations. The stations’ siding allowed them to play a key role in the metro renewal as turning stations, napi.hu reports.

When upgrading the deep-line stations in the middle section, trains were running back and forth between Újpest-központ and Lehel Square, and between Nagyvárad Square and Kőbánya-Kispest.

Unique structure, facilitated access

Both stations have a unique spatial structure on the line, with a transition between deep-line and sub-surface stations. From the underpass, you enter a gallery level above the track level. This provides a spacious passenger area, which is unusual for the narrow, low spaces of the M3 metro line, the news portal underscores.

The airy passenger compartment of the rebuilt Nagyvárad Square is full of surprises. With warm shades, the designers tried to relieve the anxiety associated with the proximity of the hospitals. Meanwhile, artworks and a row of lamps decorate the large passenger space.

At the station entrance, escalators facilitate movement and two lifts provide unobstructed access to the platform level. From the subway, the surface is also accessible by two lifts, one to the National University of Public Service (Nemzeti Közszolgálati Egyetem) and the other to the outbound side of Üllői Road.

Structural transformation

Lehel Square has also been structurally transformed: the walk-through of the gallery level has been eliminated. The area will be part of the main ventilation system after the renovation. In place of the second staircase, two lifts have been built to provide an unobstructed connection between the platform and the lower level.

Access to the surface from the underpass has already been facilitated by a ramp. The lift to be built as part of the metro renovation will further improve equal access. The construction of the lift to the corner of Victor Hugo Street was not included in the original plans for the reconstruction of the M3 metro line, so the design and construction started later than the renovation of the station. The lift will be available for passenger use from July, following the process of official approval.