Huge changes in Budapest public transportation – here are the details!

City Park and Heroes’ Square will be car-free, a new overhead bridge is to be built at Rákosrendező railway-station and tram line 3 will be continued towards Angyalföld district. Massive changes are to set in motion in Budapest by the investment projects of the government. All details are below.

Every day about a million people arrive by car to the central districts of Budapest from the outside areas and the capital’s agglomeration. This year the government has already announced construction works of motorway M1 to avoid the capital. Another important goal of the government and the city is to make at least two-thirds of these people choose public transportation and avoid the centre areas. For this, however, there is a need for new bridges and overpasses.

In order to solve the problem, the Development Centre of Budapest (BFK) of the Prime Minister’s Office starts the preparation plans of a new overhead bridge in Pest, over the railway-station of Rákosrendező, as announced Balázs Fürjes, Secretary of State responsible for the development of Budapest and its agglomeration.

The new overhead bridge will be a public road overpass; it will ensure the extension of the circular tram trail 3 and include a bike road and a pavement, thus making it a solution for cars, trams and pedestrians.

This overpass will finally solve the issue of connecting the two districts of Angyalföld and Zugló; in other words, the XIII. and XIV. districts, along Szegedi út. The Secretary of State pointed out that with this overpass they can decrease transport on Hungária avenue and make the City Park car-free.

The main road of the City Park, the Kós Károly promenade and the Heroes’ Square will both become completely car-free

according to the joint concept accepted by the government and the Council of Public Developments of the Capital. “The City Park completely needs to be given back to pedestrians and those wishing to have a rest and find some calm” – said Balázs Fürjes to metropol.hu. He also added that above-ground parking, except for a short part of the Zoo avenue, along the whole of the City Park, will be prohibited. Instead, they opened a new underground parking lot under Dózsa György road. This parking area has three levels and 9000m²  with 800 parking spaces.

The BFK and Városliget Zrt. together try to strengthen public transportation to completely get rid of car traffic around the City Park, partly with the help of supporting the use of bicycles and with redirecting traffic to other areas. The best solution would be if commuters chose public transportation directly from their homes – claimed Balázs Fürjes.

The overhead bridge planned over the railway station of Rákosrendező can solve the long-existing developmental problem of the so-called “rust zone”, which is an old, out-of-use area – said Dávid Vitézy, general manager of BFK. The circular trail of tram 3 is unfinished right now, but thanks to the planned overhead bridge, its connection to other districts of Pest can be constructed in the future. The tram trail arriving from the direction of Bosnyák Square will go through this bridge until Béke Square on Szegedi road, where it will be connected to the already existing line between Lehel street and Béke street.

As part of the planning process, BFK will ask residents in the area and the municipalities involved, on everything related to the developmental plans to make the City Park car-free.

Two new parking areas will also be created. One on the territory of the already existing P+R area at the bus and trolley stop of Mexikói road, and the other one at the end of M3 entering the city.

When it comes to train traffic,

the development of the train line of Hatvan, which acts as a direct line between the capital and its agglomeration, is already under developmental works.

At the same time, they are already working on increasing the capacity inside Budapest.

In terms of parking houses, several establishments are under construction, with almost 1500 parking spaces in total. They will mostly be used by commuters during the day, from Mondays to Fridays.

Some bad news among all the good is that the already busy Hungária avenue will not be in a much better position as the traffic banned from Kós Károly promenade will mostly go through here. To help the avenue out a bit, the already mentioned overhead bridge is very much needed. It is essential to develop the bridge in a way that it does not direct traffic of M3 towards Angyalföld and Zugló. For this purpose, a highway exit will be built right next to the railway leading cars towards Dévényi street and Vágány street.

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Source: metropol.hu