Dreams of a new Budapest tram network shattered? Public procurement cancelled

Plans to extend Budapest’s interconnected tram network on the Buda side—once seen as a key development in the city’s urban transport vision—have come to an unexpected halt. The public procurement process for the second phase of the Buda interconnected tram network (budai fonódó villamoshálózat) has been officially withdrawn, just a month after it was first announced.
Withdrawn procurement

As Telex reports, according to information published in Hungary’s official Electronic Public Procurement System, the procurement procedure now appears as “withdrawn,” with no explanation yet provided for the decision. Sources suggest that bidding companies have also been notified of the cancellation.
The expansion project, years in the making, aimed to connect Szent Gellért Square to the Kopaszi Dam area by running trams along the Műegyetem embankment. The proposed extension was not only designed to boost connectivity in southern Buda but also aligned with Budapest’s broader goals in climate protection, urban development, and sustainable transport.
Plans and permits were already complete
Earlier this year, in March, the city’s climate and transport committee confirmed that the plans and permits for the extension were already complete. The only step remaining was government approval and the allocation of European Union funding to launch the project.
The initiative had strong backing from both Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony and city representative Dávid VitĂ©zy, who jointly advocated for accelerating the tram development. VitĂ©zy, a former head of the Budapest Development Centre, highlighted in a social media post on 23 April that financial resources for the expansion had been secured back in 2020. He welcomed the public procurement announcement, expressing optimism about the project’s long-awaited progress.
The original Budapest interconnected tram line began operating in 2016 and quickly became a vital part of Buda’s public transport infrastructure. The proposed extension represented the next logical step in its evolution—until now.
With the procurement process abruptly cancelled and no official reasoning given, the future of the project remains uncertain. For now, Budapest’s ambitions to further modernise and expand its tram system appear to be on pause—leaving residents, planners, and public transport advocates questioning what comes next.
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