Superfast railway line between Budapest Airport and the downtown?
We reported before about a plan to build a railway line between the biggest Hungarian airport and Budapest’s downtown. We looked after the project and tried to find out when it might be ready. But you may not like our results.
Superfast railway to the airport from EU money
We wrote about the ambitious plan of creating a superfast railway connection between Hungary’s main air gate, the Ferenc Liszt International Airport and Budapest’s downtown several times. Our last article on the issue, published in 2020, before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, was about the question of a Hungarian MP, Péter Ungár, concerning the plans. Secretary Tamás Schanda said then that the construction of the new fast railway line would start in 2021, and the government planned to use the 2021-2027 EU development funds to back it financially.
Of course, nothing happened. In October, the head of the Budapest Development Centre (BFK), Dávid Vitézy, said in a Facebook comment that the airport did not decide. And without their consent, nobody can build a railway line there, he added. Before, hvg.hu wrote that the Chinese CRRC wanted to create a superfast railway connection there.
Since then, many things changed. First, the government does not seem to get the money in the EU development funds allocated for Hungary soon. Secondly, the coronavirus pandemic hit Hungary hard and reduced airport traffic for two years significantly. Afterwards, Russia invaded Ukraine, and an economic and energy crisis started in Hungary. Therefore, the government needed to make multiple hard decisions concerning several projects the BFK wanted to realise in the capital and its neighbourhood.
6-storey-high parking garage and other plans
János Lázár, the Minister of Construction and Transport, crossed several proposals recently. According to a list leaked to the press, the government no longer wants to build the superfast railway line or widen and develop the fast road. If the comments in the list are valid, in the former issue, the government at least has some plans, but in the latter one, nothing happened, it was just the idea that was born. Even so, telex.hu wrote that the plans will be made for that project. Here is a visual from 2020:
Interestingly, before 2020, the government wanted to build a huge, 6-storey-high parking garage near the airport, but later, they threw out the idea. Here is a photo of it:
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But the Orbán cabinet did not change its mind about buying back the airport. According to napi.hu, Márton Nagy, Hungary’s economy minister, acknowledged that the government was in talks with the owners. He added buying back the airport is in the country’s national strategic interest.
A research fellow at the University of Public Service, Zoltán Felméry, said that the estimates regarding the price range around HUF 1,500 billion (EUR 4 billion). That reaches 4-5 percent of the state expenditures.
Source: napi.hu, facebook.com/vitezydavid, hvg.hu, telex.hu, DNH
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6 Comments
A super expensive light-rail project that would take a decade-plus to complete. Give me a break. The 100E bus is often barely half-full, if that. Typical E.U. nonsense: waste taxpayers’ money on white elephants and sheer dogma. The most that should, perhaps, be done is extend the subway from KoKi to the airport; no more than that.
“Super fast railway line”: If ever built, it would rob our taxi drivers of their most lucrative rip-off trips.
If you are a Bp taxi driver and don’t tregularly rip-off foreiners on the a/p city route (and vice versa), then you’re just not “one of the guys”.
Just extend the existing rail line next to it, it would be a 2km branch
I live in Hungary half of the year with my fiancé,
I don’t understand why there is no Bus or Train, from the main train station to the Airport.
Subways for people like me,
Ie) , Disabled, or Elderly people, or people with push chairs, or people in Wheelchairs,
Can’t use the Metro as Hungary do not care about people who can’t use steps.
That’s why there are No lifts or Elevators on the metro stations.
Think of the money companies lose due to not having step free access.
As for Taxi drivers, who, we / I have to rely on just rip you off.
They done this in Greece,
It nearly bankrupt the country as tourists stopped going there because they were ripping people off.
I love Hungary,
But I think they could go a lot better if they allowed access to Everyone.
THINK – explore “other” alternatives.
From the existing TRAIN line – nearest Franz Liszt Airport – explore – look at and INVESTIGATE – what Lyon, France provide.
Lyon, provides a specially built tram – luggage capacity increase for users, that travels from central Lyon to the Airport, a trip of 35 minutes.
The tram – once its OFF the other tram line routes of Lyon, on a “dedicated” track constructed for its PURPOSE only, it reaches a speed of 100 kpm, which the ride, is smooth, in the comfort of these specially designed trams, running under same overhead pantograph system we have in Hungary.
The “THINKING” of the expansion into this muchly needed mode of airport public transportation in Budapest, Hungary – does appear NARROW and needs EXPANSION and EXPLORING – to other ALTURNATIVES.
Price increases to taxi drivers appears becoming a monthly thing.
Could be another projected tourism marketing “selling” point, like visit Budapest, besides its splendour and fascination, it has the highest paid taxi drivers in Europe.