BREAKING NEWS: Train derailed at Keleti station, several trains delayed – UPDATE

Another train derailed at Budapest’s Keleti station, causing numerous delays and cancellations for commuters on Monday morning.

Due to a technical fault, some trains at Keleti station may be delayed by 15-20 minutes, Mávinform said on its Facebook page on Monday morning.

They wrote that on the Hatvan line, the Agria from Eger and the Mátra InterRegio from Gyöngyös will run as S80 trains between Budapest and Hatvan. On the Újszász line, the Z60 trains from Szolnok will run as S60 trains between Budapest and Sülysáp.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that another train derailed at Keleti station.

Public transportation expert Dávid Vitézy wrote in a Facebook post:

Another derailment occurred this morning, again at Keleti station, involving a locomotive. This is the cause of the disruption to the station’s operations reported by MÁV. The exact causes are obviously not yet known, but after the incident at the end of the summer, MÁV should explain very quickly how this could have happened again in the same place. Fortunately, as far as I know, there were no personal injuries,

says the MEP in his Facebook post.

It is not yet known what caused the accident.

As we wrote earlier, a train derailed in late August at Keleti station. At the time, five cars of an InterCity train from Cluj Napoca called Claudiopolis derailed. Related article: InterCity derailed, paralysing train traffic at busy Budapest railway station – Photos

It took several days to restore and restart traffic, and days later, it was discovered that the derailment was caused by two broken bolts, which prevented the train from moving properly and diverted it to the adjacent track, which was not designated for it.

Vitézy also provided pictures:

Read also: 5 important things you should know before travelling by train in Hungary

UPDATE

Zsolt Hegyi, the CEO of MÁV made a statement on the matter:

“At dawn this morning, a locomotive travelling at low speed derailed with one axle at Keleti station. It was a trainset, so it was not carrying any passengers and was nowhere near the train. No-one was injured, including the driver, who noticed the track fault and acted accordingly. This accident understandably reminds everyone of the much more serious derailment accident in August, also at Keleti station. However, the two incidents are technically unrelated, as the bolts responsible for that accident have since been inspected at all reasonable points and replaced regardless of their condition, purely on the basis of their age. The cause of the current accident will have to be clarified by a more thorough investigation, but it is clear that the cause is different: the top rail in the picture has broken. However, this is not the most important thing for the passenger, but to reach his destination safely and on time. That is what we are working on. That’s why we have already decided to implement the East Programme next year, which will involve the renovation of the entire interchange area of the station (I should warn you that the complex works will also require the station to be closed to traffic for a while!) In the meantime, more frequent and thorough inspections and stringent safety measures will be taken to prevent accidents like this one from happening or, as in this case, to minimise their impact. Even now, my colleagues are working at full speed to get traffic back to normal as quickly as possible at the Keleti Railway Station.”