Metro line M3 – no end to the problems?
The debut of the new carriages of metro line M3 did not really go as planned so to say. Bkvfigyelo.24.hu states that it was rather a catastrophe.
According to the site, the difficulties all started when the Russian Metrovagonmas won the investment even though their carriages fail the modernity standards and their reference carriages are only in the testing phase in Moscow. In turn, the 0.5 million people travelling on M3 daily need a modern metro that is produced according to the standards.
Besides, the EU sanctions against Russia ruled out purchasing new carriages. That is why the government decided to announce the tender/apply for a loan to renew carriages. However, the carriages operating in Budapest are anything but renewed, for it is the driver’s cabin only that was kept from the original one.
Yet, new carriages are due to be purchased in every 30-40 years, so the people of Budapest surely deserve to get ones which would operate well in any city of the world. Furthermore, the author writes that, with a few colleagues, they visited the factory of Metrovagonmas in November, and a leader of the company there told them that they do not produce this type anywhere else, because it is unmarketable.
Also, modern metro carriages (like two lines in Budapest as well) do have air conditioners to avoid the high temperatures, as in the case of the Combino trams, which were at first purchased without air conditioners, but after the temperature was measured and it turned out that not even animals should have been transported in such circumstances, all of the trams got installed with air conditioners.
When István Tarlós, chief Mayor of Budapest, was asked about the air conditioner, he compared its necessity to giving every passenger a flower bouquet upon taking on, implying how useless it would be. Moreover, the whole investment is also really expensive: while Metrovagonmas did not offer a generally favorable price for the investment, somehow the Estonian Skinest Rail (who offered the cheapest prices) got excluded from the tender.
It would have taken 15-20 billion HUF (48-64 million EUR) to purchase better carriages, which could have been suitable. Although this is quite some money, the site notes that the government spends incredible amounts on silly and completely useless things. Thus, by considering the expenditures a bit more, 0.5 million passengers could have had carriages that are not regarded as the worst on the market.
Photo: MTI
Ce: bm
Source: bkvfigyelo.24.hu
Dear Fanni, you have missed three zeros, 15-20 billion HUF is 48-64 million EUR not 48-64 thousand EUR, wish it was though!
The M3 – Metro in our City of Budapest, the carriages are disgracefully hot throughout the Summer Months. In comparison to the M1 M2 & M4 – passenger comfort level unfortunately should be a case of Health & Safety investigation due to the excessive carriage Heat. It is very noticeable standing on the platforms awaiting a train, the still air prior to the trains arrival in summer is considerable higher in temperature on average than our other 3 Metro lines. The air from the approaching train(S) increases the platform/station hot air conditions two fold. The M3 is our “Achilles Heel” of our overall extremely efficient metro system, and I dare say have time over again lots of different major overall decisions would have been done and we would have a M3 of greater passenger comfort and far less budgetary expenditure already spent on the line, which continues. The hot overpowering air in summer, has it been considered additional air outlets to the environment either natural or fan forced ? The other is the instalation of effective air conditioning units in each carriage set. Global warming and visitors to our wonderful City are not in decline nor are our summer temperatures.