Gale-force winds uproot trees and disrupt trains in Hungary as cold front sweeps the country

A powerful cold front brought storm-force winds across Hungary on Sunday, causing widespread disruption to rail services, particularly in Transdanubia and around Lake Balaton. Fallen trees and damaged overhead lines have forced cancellations, delays and replacement buses on several major routes, railway authorities confirmed.

The national weather service, HungaroMet, issued a first-level (yellow) weather alert for the entire country as strong northerly winds intensified overnight. Gusts in exposed and mountainous areas may exceed 100 km/h, while temperatures have dropped sharply.

Major rail disruption on Balaton lines

According to MÁV, extreme winds uprooted trees and caused faults in the overhead power network, significantly affecting train operations throughout the region.

On the southern shore of Lake Balaton, trains are currently running only between Budapest and Fonyód. Fast services from Fonyód are operating separately towards Kaposvár and Pécs.

Replacement buses have been introduced on two key sections:

• Balatonszentgyörgy – Nagykanizsa
• Fonyód – Balatonszentgyörgy – Keszthely

Passengers heading to the western Balaton basin are advised to consider long-distance coach services operated by Volánbusz.

Further complications were reported between Tapolca and Keszthely, where a fallen tree blocked the tracks, causing trains to wait and leading to significant delays. Although the obstruction has since been cleared, normal timetables may only gradually resume during the late morning.