Structural issues at MÁV: Recent disruptions expose deep problems in Hungarian rail network
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While the recent delays, cancellations, and closures at MÁV were triggered by unrelated accidents and errors, the disruptions in recent days highlight the deep-rooted structural issues within Hungarian rail transport. These problems are unlikely to be resolved in the near future.
G7 described the situation as a near-collapse of domestic rail transport on several lines. At first glance, it might appear that MÁV has been struck by a series of unfortunate events. However, this chaos was only a matter of time, as the recent incidents underscore the underlying structural problems.
The series of issues began on Saturday, 24 August, around noon, when a broken rail halted rail services on the South Balaton line, which is especially busy during summer. MÁV attempted to handle the situation with replacement buses, but there were not enough to accommodate all passengers. While traffic resumed by 5 PM, trains could only move at a reduced speed of 20 km/h.
On Sunday evening, five cars of an InterCity train derailed on the access track near Keleti station, which serves hundreds of thousands of passengers daily. This accident led to the station’s closure. On Monday morning, two separate hit-and-run incidents occurred on MÁV lines in different parts of the country, at Mezőkövesd and Felsőgöd, causing further disruption on what was already a problematic day for traffic.
Following the issues at Keleti, Nyugati station also faced serious disruptions due to a broken rail on the Cegléd line on Monday morning. Trains could run on only one track between Kőbánya alsó and Nyugati, resulting in delays of 20 to 40 minutes. Later that morning, Déli station, the third major station in Budapest, was shut down after the Kék Hullám InterCity from Szombathely collided with a truck.
