Budapest’s Keleti station reveals hidden underground tunnels

One of Budapest’s busiest transportation hubs, Keleti Railway Station, is currently under full closure due to a major renovation by Hungarian State Railways (MÁV).

The modernisation of the more than 140-year-old building includes upgrades to platforms, tracks, and the main concourse—but has also uncovered previously hidden details known only to a few, according to Promotions.hu. The station now offers an entirely new face to the public, as cameras captured tucked-away corners that have remained out of sight for decades.

Secret tunnels beneath Keleti?

Footage shows empty corridors and long-abandoned rooms. Crumbling plaster, blocked-off stairways, and heavily barricaded doors suggest a forgotten world hidden behind the majestic facade. Beneath the ornate arcades, rusted iron gates, narrow passageways, and cluttered storage rooms hint at the existence of a vast underground system.

Outside, remnants of an old freight elevator were discovered—once used to link the main hall to the lower levels. Based on the footage, it seems the depths of the building hold more secrets than one might expect at first glance.

Perhaps the most intriguing find is the dual-level basement beneath Keleti Station. Reports suggest that beneath the first level lies an even deeper layer, sealed off by thick walls and barred entrances—features that indicate it may have once served as a shelter. While the urban exploration content creator didn’t venture fully into the restricted areas, what was seen paints a picture of a complex, multi-level underground network reinforced with significant security elements.

Why are these tunnels under the busy railway station?

The exact purpose of this mysterious tunnel system under Keleti station remains unknown. Some speculate it served as a bunker during World War II, while others believe it played a role in logistics or railway operations. It’s also possible that its function changed over the decades depending on the needs of the time.

As renovation work continues, there’s a real opportunity for experts—or bold urban explorers—to get closer to unlocking the mystery. One thing is certain: Keleti Station is not only one of Budapest’s busiest rail terminals but also an architectural and historical landmark that holds just as many surprises beneath the surface as it does above, seen daily by thousands of commuters.

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One comment

  1. Mindboggling.
    MUST be ways of finding the TRUE history of the subject this article centers on.
    Milano Centrale – rooms part of this magnificent Railway Station are closed off to the general public, as Benito Mussolini, in a visit by Adolf Hitler to Milan, a relationship, likened muchly to that of Victor Mihaly. Orban it “lives” with Vladamir Putin, that ended for BOTH Hitler and Mussolini for their respective countrys in hardship and of a cataclysmic disaster.
    Mussolini, had built a gigantic tiled / mosaic Swastika – in the foyer entrance to rooms dedicated for the arrival the welcoming of Adolf Hitler to Milan, Italy.
    History never Lies and the “undercroft” of Keleti Station, what secrets they HOLD.

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