Severe delays on Budapest’s M2 metro line due to technical malfunction – UPDATE: BKV’s reaction
The trains on Budapest’s M2 metro line have drastically slowed down, switching to manual control, according to the Urban and Suburban Transport Association (Városi és Elővárosi Közlekedési Egyesület, VEKE). The organisation reports that the timeline for repairing the issue remains highly uncertain.
M2 metro moves at a snail’s pace
Many commuters noticed that the M2 metro was unusually slow today, moving at a snail’s pace between Örs vezér Square and Deák Ferenc Square, VEKE shared on its official social media page. The trains are creeping along between these stations, though the system is functioning as usual between Deák Ferenc Square and Déli railway station.
VEKE explained that the problem stems from a failure in the Siemens-manufactured safety system, which is quite costly. Even the backup system, known as the redundant system, has failed between Örs vezér Square and Blaha Lujza Square. As a result, the metro has switched to station-distance operations with manual driving and radio communication. To assist in manual control, the Budapest Transport Company (BKV) has called in all available traffic controllers.
Repair time uncertain
VEKE further notes that BKV staff have been unable to fix the system, and Siemens experts are not working over the weekend. BKV did not request 24/7 on-call service from Siemens, meaning the repair timeline is uncertain. According to the transport association, this poses a particular challenge because such issues can only be resolved during weekends when passenger numbers and transport capacity are lower.
So far, the Budapest Transport Centre (BKK) has not posted any updates on its website or Facebook page and has not released an official statement to confirm VEKE’s information.
There is no danger on M2 metro line
VEKE emphasised that there is no need for concern regarding safety: “No one is in any danger. Public transport is still operating, albeit with restrictions, as the service is functioning at a reduced capacity to prioritise safety. However, this is an approved and practised mode of operation, which exists because failures like this can happen.”
UPDATE: BKV’s reaction
It is not true that the safety device of metro line 2 “went out”, nor is it true that BKV ran the trains in steps on Saturday, the transport company told Economx as a reaction to the Facebook post of VEKE. They added that the Siemens train control system of metro line 2 was repaired on Saturday night.
“Previously, there was a communication failure between the individual system components, which we were able to repair during a shutdown. The Siemens staff also helped in the repair, as we have a good professional cooperation with the manufacturer,” BKV said in a statement sent to the news portal.
Contrary to VEKE’s claim, the signalling control did not “go down”, it works without any fault and was working on Saturday, the transport company added. There was no safety risk to passenger operations even with the failure, but delays could occur. The mode of operation used fully complied with all safety and regulatory requirements and aspects, and of course did not run trains “at a snail’s pace”, they wrote.
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