Hungarian railway company to close busy railway line because of a Debrecen battery factory
On 19th October, MÁV will permanently close the railway line number 106 between Debrecen and Nagykereki. Although parts of the line were refurbished in recent years, passenger rail services on this section will cease due to the land requirements for the construction of CATL’s battery factory in Debrecen.
Why the line is closing
A section of line 106 had already been designated as part of the Debrecen Southern Economic Zone, where the Chinese company CATL is building its large-scale investment. The company has purchased and intends to use the railway land, so the state must dismantle the track and embankment and rehabilitate the area. This work is scheduled to begin in October, and from 13th October, trains will no longer run on this line, with buses introduced as replacements.
Replacement bus services
MÁV will run buses instead of trains, providing an average of 20 daily services from 13th October, according to Telex. The buses will follow the former railway route closely, operating from early morning until late evening. There will also be express services that skip certain stops to offer faster journeys.
Compared with the trains’ previous 100-minute travel time, the bus timetables are:
- Services stopping at all stations: 78 minutes
- Services that skip Derecske: 72 minutes
- Buses on the shortest route: 56 minutes
Plans for the new railway line
The construction of a new railway line is still in the planning stage. Currently, a public procurement process is underway for the design of the section between Debrecen and Berettyóújfalu. This new line will eventually link Debrecen and Berettyóújfalu and run roughly parallel to the current line between Debrecen and Sáránd. Without the new line, residents in the affected region will have to rely on buses for several years.
Additionally, the government plans to develop a tram-train service between Debrecen and Nagyvárad, but it is not yet clear if this will follow the existing or the proposed new route.
Issues raised about the project
There have been several criticisms regarding the line’s closure. Dávid Vitézy criticised the previous decision-makers in the Fidesz government, especially János Lázár’s ministry, in a Facebook post for not continuing the necessary planning. He argued that industrial interests from China were prioritised over the needs of local residents and public rail services, as reported by Átlátszó.
The Railway Workers’ Union emphasised that the closure has forced urgent job reassignment for many workers. The shutdown severely affects residents of settlements between Debrecen and the Romanian border who relied on the suburban rail line for access to jobs, schools, and essential services.
Despite refurbishment, the line had managed to increase passenger numbers thanks to lobbying by local mayors and modernised stations. However, deteriorating conditions on the worse sections of the route now pose increasing challenges, further complicating replacement bus services.
CATL released a statement
CATL has launched a new initiative focused on advancing scientific research and global climate policy related to the energy transition. Its research division, the 21C Lab, in partnership with the academic publisher Springer Nature, will debut a scientific journal named Watt in February 2026. Watt aims to publish cutting-edge research across areas critical to achieving net-zero emissions, including energy storage, grid optimisation, carbon capture, and policy analysis.
The journal will uphold rigorous academic standards guided by an esteemed editorial board featuring prominent energy scientists such as Sir Peter Bruce from the University of Oxford and CATL’s lead researcher Dr. Kai Wu. It follows five core principles — high quality, reproducibility, practicality, visibility, and diversity — to ensure global impact. The scientific community is invited to contribute by submitting research, reviewing articles, and promoting the journal.
In addition to its scientific efforts, CATL has played a prominent role in global climate policy discussions. The company was one of only three invited corporations to participate in the sixth global dialogue of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in September, and the sole Chinese company invited. At this event, CATL highlighted the importance of a circular battery value chain for supporting a low-carbon energy transition.
Polly Tao, CATL’s ESG Director, presented the company’s Global Energy Circularity Commitment (GECC), emphasising that used batteries should be viewed as valuable resources rather than waste. CATL’s holistic lifecycle approach—from production to recycling—is seen as a best practice fostering both environmental and business opportunities. The panel also led to further engagement between CATL and policymakers from Europe and Asia to advance circular economy models.