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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.
At Kőbánya-Kispest, tracks will be renewed and additional improvements carried out, including repairs to the platform roof insulation and the refurbishment of the pedestrian overpass.
Track reconstruction is expected to last throughout the summer, with supplementary works continuing into the autumn.
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Faster journeys and self-funded investment
Following the upgrade, journey times to and from Nyugati are set to be cut by around three minutes for all services using the section: a small but significant saving on such a heavily trafficked route.
The investment is valued at HUF 12 billion (approximately EUR 32 million) and will be financed entirely from MÁV’s own resources. Hegyi stressed that the railway company must be capable of carrying out essential maintenance and renewals without relying solely on external funding.
For daily commuters and airport-bound passengers using Kőbánya-Kispest as a hub, the modernisation could bring smoother, faster and more reliable travel, although temporary disruptions during construction are likely to be unavoidable.