Great! High-speed railway to Budapest Airport gets greenlight by Hungary’s government

Hungary’s government has confirmed plans to advance the long-awaited dedicated airport rail link to Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (also known as Budapest Airport) through a large-scale concession model, with the tender set to be issued in January 2026. The announcement was made by Gergely Gulyás, the minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office, during Wednesday’s government briefing.

According to the government, the new line will connect the airport with Budapest Nyugati Railway Station along a roughly 26–27-kilometre route. The project, which aims to establish a direct rail connection to the capital’s busiest hub, is expected to be completed within six years. Once operational, trains would run every 5–10 minutes, offering a 19-minute journey between Budapest Airport and the city centre and serving approximately 33,000 passengers per day, reports Telex.

Private financing and key questions

The development will be carried out entirely through private financing. “No state funding will be required; the concession will sustain itself, and the concessionaire will even pay a fee to the state,” Gulyás said. Ticket prices are expected to fall between HUF 3,000 and 4,000 (EUR 7.8 and 10.4), which the minister argued would be competitive compared with taxi fares.

However, railway experts contacted by Telex expressed concern over the project’s opaque preparation process. No feasibility studies, technical documentation or financial breakdowns have been made public so far—an unusual situation for an infrastructure project of this scale.

Several strategic questions remain unresolved, including how the new line will integrate with the existing Budapest Railway Concept, how additional traffic will be managed at the capacity-constrained Nyugati station, and whether new rolling stock must be procured.

Industry observers also highlight uncertainties regarding ownership of the new track section, the structure of track-access fees and how a premium-priced airport link will fit into the national ticketing system, particularly in relation to Hungary’s flat-rate “country pass.” One potential solution reportedly under consideration is a controlled entry-exit system at the airport station to separate premium fares from regular intercity journeys.

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Which companies may compete?

Given the unusually tight timeline for finalising the concession design, experts believe that preliminary talks with potential bidders have already taken place. The French Vinci Group—co-owner of Budapest Airport and a major international construction conglomerate—is widely considered a strong contender.