MÁV faces setbacks as 1950s safety system delays Budapest–Belgrade rail line
MÁV’s flagship Budapest–Belgrade railway project is facing major delays and soaring costs after a Chinese investor abandoned plans to install modern safety equipment. With no EU-compliant alternative in place, Hungary may be forced to rely on the outdated Domino 55 system, casting doubt on the project’s ambition to modernise MÁV and its rail infrastructure.
Outdated system
As Szabad Európa writes, the Hungarian section of the Budapest–Belgrade railway is facing significant setbacks after a Chinese investor reportedly abandoned plans to install its own modern safety equipment. As a result, Hungary may be forced to rely on the Domino 55 system—a technology developed in 1955 in Switzerland. While once widely respected, this outdated device lacks software integration and relies solely on mechanical and electronic components. Industry insiders describe it as simple and robust, but ironically outdated for a project intended to usher MÁV into the future.
Chinese system fails EU standards
The core of the issue lies in incompatibility with European Union standards. While China uses standardised station designs and safety systems nationwide, Europe’s railways are far more diverse, requiring tailor-made solutions. The Chinese party, according to professional sources, was unable to adapt its technology to these requirements and has now ceased efforts to do so. The Urban and Suburban Transit Association (VEKE) highlighted this shortcoming, explaining that the complexity of European systems proved too challenging for the investor to accommodate.
Laughable speed restrictions
Despite being a fallback, even the Domino 55 system is not ready for immediate deployment. Due to its custom manufacturing requirements, installation and commissioning may take another two to three years. Until then, basic inter-station communication will be necessary, allowing only one train between stations at a time. This limits speeds on the Hungarian section to just 100 km/h, far below the 160 km/h target, and significantly behind the Serbian side, where speeds could reach 200 km/h under optimal conditions.
Mounting costs
Financially, the implications are steep. With the Chinese investor unwilling to fund non-Chinese safety systems from the loan provided, Hungary may need to cover an additional HUF 50–80 billion (EUR 123–198 million). This adds to a growing budget, already ballooned from an initial HUF 470 billion (approximately EUR 1.2 billion) to around HUF 800 billion (approximately EUR 2 billion). In response to the controversy, MÁV has maintained that the railway is being built to full EU specifications, including modern signalling and protection systems. However, it has not denied that temporary measures such as Domino 55 may be needed until permanent solutions are approved.
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And the rail-line does not stop at any city between Budapest and the Serbian border. It could have gone through Szeged and Kecskemet but its’ purpose for the Chinese was for freight transport of their goods from the port of Piraeus in Greece to the rest of Europe. They did not build it for passenger transport. The rail line is a big steaming pile of kaki brought to Hungary courtesy of Fidesz.
Larry, do you know why they chose not to upgrade the much busier line to Szeged? Was it cost? Any extra it would have cost would have been money well spent as it would have offered much faster domestic journeys to a sizeable percentage of people travelling on MAV every day on the line to Szeged which also passes the important industrial centre of Kecskemet. But much faster journey times would serve to dissuade people from buying expensive motorway tolls to drive on the M5 motorway. It’s almost as if they didn’t want to speed up travelling times for ‘self loading cargo’.
Oh dear, unfortunately this was a predictable outcome. Instead of commissioning the build to involve a sub-contractor specialised in the requirements of European rail safety, the whole thing was farmed out to the Chinese who’ve now thrown in the towel. With a speed restriction of 100 kph (presumably partnered with a line capacity restriction too), it torpedoes any residual business case for passenger trains to Belgrade as the travelling time will become too long. They’ll be back to the handful of Interrailers and rail buffs that used the service before it closed for overhaul. Serbia cannot be best pleased as they’ve got a dependency on the Hungarian part of the line for the cost/benefit rationale to upgrade the line in the first place.
MOL is a cash cow used to line the pockets of the Fidesz elite and send revenues back to their bosses in Moscow. Fidesz has corrupt incentive to let MAV deteriorate and force Hungarians to burn more petrol driving their cars.
Got to be BORROWINGS incurred by the Orban led Fidesz Government in this “New Silk Road” probably from the Chinese at “exploded” interest rate level ???
Longer the delays, the HIGHER the cost on the borrowings, on the tax payers, the citizens of Hungary.