New railway line would reach Budapest Airport directly!

Illustration. Photo: Pixabay

The government and the Mayor of Budapest seem to be joining forces and are planning to update how people get to Budapest Airport. Plans have been drawn for a new railway project that would go directly to Terminal 2 and would cost at least a couple hundred billion Forints.

There is a much-needed development regarding the airport’s accessibility. As we reported earlier, a record number (16.2 million) of passengers used Budapest’s Ferenc Liszt International Airport last year, which is an 8.8 per cent growth in passenger traffic compared to the previous year. Experts predict that the airport’s traffic will reach an even 17 million next year, ATV reports.

Read alsoGreat! Record number of passengers used Budapest Airport in 2019

Traffic increases each year, but the airport’s accessibility remains the same (a.k.a. difficult), especially if you want to approach it from outside of Budapest. At the moment, Budapest Airport can be approached by car or bus only, using an outdated expressway. Direct shuttle service 100E operates between the airport and Deák Ferenc square and bus line 200E operates day and night between Terminal 2 and Nagyvárad tér metro station (the temporary terminus of metro line M3 during reconstruction).

Route of airport bus line 200E to be extended

The Hungarian government and Budapest Municipality both agree on the importance of improving the airport’s accessibility. Plans have been drawn to modernise the outdated expressway and for building a new railway line that would reach Terminal 2 directly. A development this size would cost at least a couple hundred billion Forints; therefore, authorities hope to utilise EU funding for the project.

The new railway line would connect Kőbánya Kispest and Monor, seceding from railway line 100A, and it would go directly to Budapest Airport. The project is estimated to take 10 years to finish. A direct railway line to the airport would be beneficial not only to Budapest residents but also to people living in its agglomeration and the countryside. This would provide a fast and easy transfer to the airport for a much lower price than private bus transfers or cabs.