Budapest–Belgrade railway: quality complaints over track-bed stone supplied by PM Orbán’s father’s company

New details have emerged about the construction of the Budapest–Belgrade railway, and they do not paint a reassuring picture. According to internal correspondence, several parties raised serious quality concerns – yet no visible intervention followed.

Two major players raised concerns

Two main contractors involved in the Budapest–Belgrade railway project – the Chinese-owned China Tiejiuju Engineering & Construction Ltd. and V-Híd, a company linked to Lőrinc Mészáros – raised objections as early as February 2023.

At the centre of the complaints was the so-called SZK1 construction material, one of the most important components of the railway track bed. This category refers to the highest-quality crushed stone, with its exact grain size distribution defined by strict regulations, such as MÁV’s D.11 standard. In the case of the Budapest–Belgrade railway, this is particularly critical for ensuring track stability.

Samples and reports confirmed the issues

The contractors did not merely raise concerns verbally: concrete samples were taken and formal reports were produced. These indicated that the delivered material did not meet the required grain size specifications.

The documentation and laboratory results were sent to the supplier, Dolomit Ltd., a company linked to Győző Orbán, with a request to improve the composition of the material. This raises further questions about oversight on the Budapest–Belgrade railway project.

Weather blamed, but no real improvement

The supplier acknowledged a decline in quality, attributing it to heavy rainfall earlier in the year, which caused mud and clay to mix with the extracted stone.

Although they committed to improvements, no significant progress had been made by March. The Chinese contractor therefore took additional samples – this time from the already installed SZK1 layer. This is a particularly sensitive issue in the Budapest–Belgrade railway project, as the material had by then already been built into the track, as reported by 444.

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Two laboratories, conflicting results

Two laboratories conducted tests: the independent TLI Plc. and EULAB Ltd., commissioned by the Chinese side. However, the findings were not consistent.

According to TLI Plc., the installed material did not meet the required grain size distribution, whereas EULAB Ltd. concluded that it “just about” met the standards. This contradiction further increases uncertainty surrounding the Budapest–Belgrade railway.

MÁV insists everything was compliant

The official position sharply contrasts with the leaked information. According to MÁV, only certified materials meeting all technical and regulatory requirements were used throughout the construction of the Budapest–Belgrade railway.

The railway company also stressed that inspections had not identified any circumstances indicating non-compliance or the use of substandard materials – even after reviewing excerpts from the laboratory reports, as reported by 24.hu.

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