Railway traffic halted in Hungary after dispatcher was drunk on duty
Rail services on the Göd line were brought to an unexpected standstill after a railway dispatcher was found to be heavily intoxicated while on duty.
Railway worker in Hungary was unfit to complete their task
As Portfolio writes, Hungary’s state railway company, MÁV, has suspended the employee with immediate effect, and police have launched a criminal investigation.
According to a statement issued by Hegyi Zsolt, CEO of the MÁV Group, the dispatcher arrived at work in a state that initially led colleagues to suspect a sudden medical issue.
However, it soon became clear that the employee’s condition was due to severe intoxication. As a result, train traffic on the affected section had to be completely halted for safety reasons.
The CEO was not happy
MÁV reported the incident to the authorities, after which police detained the employee on suspicion of endangering others in the course of their work — a serious offence under Hungarian law.
In its statement, the railway operator stressed its uncompromising stance on such cases, saying: “MÁV maintains zero tolerance for any behaviour that jeopardises passenger safety. Anyone responsible for safeguarding others must remain sober in every respect.”
The disruption caused significant delays, and MÁV has mobilised additional staff to restore normal traffic and ensure stranded passengers can continue their journeys as quickly as possible.
Calling the situation “unacceptable”, Hegyi Zsolt issued an apology to all affected travellers: “I sincerely apologise to every passenger for what happened.”