Budapest’s busiest metro line is set to be extended after the Hungarian government confirmed funding for the long-awaited northern expansion of the M3 metro.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by Transport and Investment Minister Dávid Vitézy during the presentation of the government’s new Baross Gábor Railway Development Plan. The project will be financed through European Union funds.
The extension will take the M3 metro line beyond its current northern terminus at Újpest-központ to Rákospalota-Újpest railway station, creating a new interchange with suburban rail services.
Mayor welcomes ‘historic day’
Reacting to the announcement on Facebook, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony described the decision as a “historic day” for public transport in Hungary. He said the capital had long argued that no seven-year EU budget cycle should pass without a major metro investment in Budapest.
Karácsony also criticised the previous Orbán government, saying its policies had cost the country valuable time and funding, but added that the new government had managed to “save what can still be saved” by securing EU financing for transport projects.
Plans already prepared for further extension
According to the mayor, detailed plans have already been completed for extending the M3 metro line all the way to Káposztásmegyer, one of Budapest’s largest residential districts. However, he said that, given current financial and time constraints, only the first phase as far as Rákospalota-Újpest can be delivered for now.
Karácsony nevertheless described the project as a major step forward because it can be coordinated with planned suburban railway developments, improving connections for both Budapest residents and commuters travelling into the capital from surrounding towns.
Part of wider rail modernisation programme
The metro extension forms part of the government’s newly announced 10-year railway investment programme, worth approximately HUF 3,550 billion (EUR 9.7 billion). Read more about it here!
Alongside the M3 metro line extension, the Baross Gábor Railway Development Plan includes new InterCity trains, a replacement fleet for Budapest’s HÉV suburban railway, station modernisation projects, preparations for an airport rail link and upgrades to major railway corridors across Hungary.
The government says the programme is intended to modernise Hungary’s rail network and strengthen cooperation between national and Budapest transport developments.
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