New developments of the Gellért Hill funicular – Is scenery affected?
The Gellért Hill Funicular has been part of the urban development plans of the Hungarian capital for more than a century, but there are still difficulties on the way before it could become a reality.
According to Index, the construction permit will expire just two months from now, on the 1st of February, so the company has submitted a new request for the construction permit due to the changed plans of the funicular.
Although, as we have previously reported, neither the capital, nor District I has raised any objections, and the disaster management and the heritage protection authority, the Hungarian National Authority for Nature Conservation, and the Danube-Ipoly National Park Directorate responsible for the area all agreed to the construction of the cable car, there were still some changes made to accommodate reservations about the plans.
It was always a criterium that the funicular has to fit perfectly into its surroundings in terms of the colours and materials of the landscape.
Many people feared that the landscape of Gellért Hill would be greatly affected by the implementation of the funicular, so the new designs placed the upper station lower on the hillside.
This way, tourists would not directly arrive at the Citadella promenade, but they would arrive at a ramp under it. There will be a 5% slope leading to the promenade. This way, the funicular would be even less visible and have less impact on the scenery of Gellért Hill, says Index.
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Another change in the previous plans is that Budavár’s municipality asked for the cancellation of the tourist bus stop immediately next to the station. So, it would need to be implemented differently.
In the environmental permit, it is stated that they will need to cut down a total of 91 trees, but according to Főkert, a company responsible for the capital’s flora, 35 of them are in such a bad condition that they would need to be cut down anyway. The project also promised to replace these trees by planting 900 semi-mature trees.
The funicular cars will be made by Leitner GmbH, which have updated their plans and designs since their original agreement was signed back in 2007.
The project could cost upwards of 18−20 billion forints (€48.8−54.2 million) and will have a repayment period of 17−18 years approximately. The investment could start next year, and it will be completed no sooner than the spring of 2023.
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Source: Index.hu, Daily News Hungary