Major Budapest train station to close for days in March affecting international and Intercity trains

Engineers will carry out essential maintenance and refurbishments at Budapest’s busy Déli Station over two March weekends to ensure more reliable services through spring and summer. The closures will disrupt not only travellers bound for Austria, Győr or Lake Balaton, but several international routes too. The rail operator promises fewer speed restrictions and lower delay rates during the tourist season.

What work is MÁV undertaking at Déli station?

According to MÁV, one of Hungary’s busiest stations – Budapest Déli – will shut for the weekends of 7-8 March and 28-29 March. The reason? Less glamorous upgrades, including rail and concrete sleeper replacements, ballast replenishment, bed slewing and renewal, plus point and track adjustments. Asphalt resurfacing, overhead line inspections, tunnel and retaining wall checks, dangerous tree felling, and platform cleaning and maintenance are also on the list.

MÁV hopes its 150 million forint (£320,000) self-funded investment will slash faults such as overhead wire failures and signal equipment breakdowns – major culprits in delays. Local residents will welcome the news that noisy work will be confined to daylight hours.

How will this affect travel?

As a general rule, trains on those two weekend Saturdays and Sundays will depart from Kelenföld station instead. MÁV replacement buses will run between the two sites to ease passenger transfers. Some Friday evening services and early Monday trains will skip Déli entirely, operating from Kelenföld.

The changes hit key lines: the Győr route to Austria (line 1), Székesfehérvár (30a), Dombóvár (40) and Dunaújváros (42). Numerous InterCity services to Lake Balaton, the Bakony hills or the Mecsek region will also start from Kelenföld.

International trains are affected too: the Zagreb-bound Agram-Lakefront InterCity (IC 204) will depart and arrive at Kelenföld.

Replacement buses in operation

On all four closure days, MÁV buses will shuttle passengers every 15 minutes from 5am to 10pm between Déli station’s Krisztina körút side and Etele tér – a short walk from Kelenföld. The metro station will remain accessible, while toilets, ticket offices and vending machines will be open throughout.

If you missed our previous articles concerning travel in Hungary:

• Eyewitness claims piece from Hungarian airliner fell over Budapest residential district
• Major overhaul planned for Budapest’s historic M1 metro!
• Luxury trains set to roll on the Budapest-Belgrade line: leather seats, coffee machines and 200 km/h speeds