Major Budapest rail overhaul: key rail line serving Nyugati station to undergo full reconstruction!

A complete reconstruction is scheduled for one of Budapest’s busiest railway corridors next summer, as MÁV prepares to modernise the line between Kőbánya-Kispest railway station and Nyugati railway station.

Zsolt Hegyi, chief executive of the state railway group, announced that the necessary public procurement tenders have already been launched, paving the way for works to begin in the summer of 2026. The project targets a section that carries around 230 trains a day and tens of millions of passengers each year, making it one of the most intensively used stretches of track in the country.

Ageing infrastructure and slow speeds at Nyugati

According to Hegyi, the line is in poor condition and currently subject to numerous speed restrictions of 40–60 km/h. The last comprehensive upgrade dates back to the late 1960s, meaning the infrastructure has long outlived its intended lifespan.

As a result, trains are frequently delayed, and travel times have gradually increased over the years.

“From top to bottom” rebuild

The CEO said the line will be rebuilt “from top to bottom”, with all existing speed limits removed once the work is completed. The aim is not only to eliminate bottlenecks but to secure the corridor’s reliability for the long term.