railway

New and cheap public transport season tickets in Hungary, here are the details

máv train

New county and country passes will be introduced from 1 May, offering easy and affordable travel on MÁV-START, Volánbus, MÁV-HÉV, and GYSEV intercity services.

The 30-day full-price duchy season ticket will be available for HUF 9,450 (EUR 25), while the country season ticket will cost double that price, HUF 18,900 (EUR 50), MÁV said.

Of course, students will also be able to benefit from the usual 90 percent discount, HUF 945 (EUR 2,5) and HUF 1,890 (EUR 5) for the new student season tickets.

The county and country passes will increase and in no case reduce the choice of passes available to passengers: all current ticket and pass types will remain after 1 May, so that everyone can choose the most convenient solution. It is important to note that the usual discounts will be available for the new season ticket types.

According to the railway company, families can save tens of thousands of forints on their monthly transport costs if parents and children commute regularly to work and school. In fact, it is believed that the new season ticket schemes of the MÁV-Volán group are expected to contribute to the recovery of domestic tourism.

The introduction of a county or country season ticket will also make it easier to change tickets. In the future, it will be enough to buy a single season ticket – a 30-day season ticket for intercity buses and trains – from month to month.

Moreover, if you use the MÁV app, even this single-season ticket will be available without queuing and paper consumption.

However, with the county and country season ticket, you will not be able to travel on local trains (with surcharges), nor will you be able to travel in first-class carriages or premium sections, even if you pay the surcharge or the class difference.

In Budapest, only outside the administrative boundaries of the capital will the Pest county season ticket and the country season ticket be accepted on MÁV-HÉV trains and on the agglomeration blue buses, while within the city limits, BKK tickets or Budapest season tickets will be required.

connecting railway bridge danube
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Hungary’s public transport system fundamentally changes: new travelcards introduced

Hungary public transport

From May, the Hungarian government introduces new types of travelcards enabling passengers to travel by train and bus on every inland line in Hungary except for the municipal ones. Moreover, the travelcard will have a favourable price, especially if you are a student. Below, you may read the details.

Two new travelcards announced

PM Viktor Orbán announced the new travelcard scheme in his state of the nation speech yesterday afternoon. Afterwards, the relevant government decree appeared, clearing the details concerning two new travelcard types.

The national travelcard will enable you to travel on every Hungarian bus and train line operated by the MÁV-Start, MÁV-HÉV, GYSEV railway companies and the Volánbusz national bus firm, turizmus.com wrote. The only exceptions are the municipal lines. That means you will still have to buy your Budapest monthly pass. Meanwhile, from 1 May, you will be able to use county travelcards.

The latter will allow you to use bus and train lines in a given county. It will cost HUF 9,450 (EUR 24.6). However, students will get a 90 percent reduction, so they will only have to pay HUF 945 (EUR 2.5). The national 30-day travelcard will be HUF 18,900 (EUR 49.15), which is HUF 2,500 less than the current 30 km travelcard. Meanwhile, students will receive a 90 percent reduction, so they will only have to pay HUF 1890 (EUR 5) to travel for 30 days in Hungary.

Competitive prices

The Hungarian press did not write anywhere that the new rules do not apply to foreigners. That means even tourists will be able to buy the new travelcard types. As a result, a foreign student will be able to commute in Hungary for 30 days for only EUR 5. Furthermore, a foreign family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children) will only have to pay EUR 110 to travel everywhere in Hungary for a month. We do believe the offer is quite fair if you want to spend a magical summer holiday in Hungary with your loved ones and visit everything worth seeing here.

Of course, you will not be able to travel first class with the travelcard. Furthermore, you will still have to buy municipal travelcards to use the services of the BKK, Budapest’s transport company.

Moreover, Hungarian employers will refund 86 percent of the travelcard. In the case of county travelcard, you will only have to pay HUF 1,300 (EUR 3.38), while that sum will be HUF 2,600 (EUR 6.8) provided you opt for the national version.

You can buy the travelcards at the MÁV-Start, GYSEV and Volánbusz cashdesks, in the MÁV app and on the buses.

VEKE, a Hungarian interest protection organisation active in transport issues, harshly criticised the initiative. They said it was not like the ‘Deutschlandticket’ or ‘German ticket’, including the municipal transport system. Therefore, it is not appropriate to create a universal scheme. Furthermore, the cost was defined randomly. The only aim was to remain lower than the Budapest monthly pass (HUF 9,500). The new ticket type will destroy municipal transport systems since people will use the national lines, which will be much cheaper even though they will have a limited number of stops in the municipalities and Budapest. As a result, the step may mean another nail in the coffin of the opposition-led local councils.

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Hungarian-developed robot assistant helps rail transport

Keleti Railway Station MÁV

MÁVDIREKT’s telephone customer service is renewed with a fully Hungarian-developed robot assistant.

MÁVDIREKT is adding a new feature to MÁV’s telephone customer service. The robot assistant is capable of serving up to ten enquirers at the same time.

Experience shows that customers most often ask for simple timetable information, infostart.hu reports. This frees up energy and time for people to deal with more complex problems.

Thanks to the robot assistant, waiting times are eliminated. Any emergency calls can be identified and immediately forwarded to a human operator. The system served 12,000 callers during the test run.

To talk to Elvira, call the MÁVDIREKT call centre, available around the clock, on +36 1 349 4949 or +36 30 499 4999 from Telekom, +36 20 499 4999 from Yettel and +36 70 499 4999 from Vodafone.

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PHOTOS: Budapest’s emblematic train station is being renewed

Nyugati Railway Station renovation Budapest1

The renovation of Budapest’s illustrious Nyugati Railway Station continues with spectacular developments. The current works include the modernisation of the station’s main facade and the slender Southeastern spire. By autumn, the view of the station facing Nyugati Square will be breathtaking again since the protective roof is planned to be removed.

New roof, new spires, renewed facade

According to mav.hu, renovation of the ceiling of the subway beneath the 10-13th platforms will start this year with the stairways’ balustrades. The elevator will be removed because it will be replaced by an increased capacity lift. It will make the subway and the platforms accessible for disabled people.

More than 18.5 million people use the Nyugati Railway station every year. The building will be 146 years old in 2023. Since its role is unquestionable in Hungary’s railway system, the renovation works could not be postponed. The reconstruction started in the spring of 2020 with the renovation of the main building’s roof. Magyar Építő carried out the task back then after they kept the hall closed to the public for months.

Railway station Budapest marble hall
The renewed roof. Bird’s-eye view. Photo: facebook.com/mavcsoport

Afterwards, the beautiful marble hall was renewed and inaugurated last year. According to the mav.hu, the international waiting room will open in 2024. The good news is that the new roof above the room is completed, just like in the case of the old grocery shop, the Ceglédi Corridor, and the office buildings in the Nyugati Square wing.

Nyugati Railway Station renovation Budapest1
Photo: facebook.com/mavcsoport

In autumn, they will remove the protective roof from the front of the station. As a result, we will be able to enjoy the renovated facade of the building from Nyugati Square. The facade is under monument protection, while the building and the square have been iconic landmarks to visit and take snaps of. 

Budapest’s railway transport hub

ÉPKAR has been renovating the northwestern spire since last autumn. According to the plans, they will finish it by this June. Meanwhile, MÁV FKG will renew the southwestern spire finishing the job by November.

The renovation of the subway beneath platforms 10-13 will start in the summer. The contractors will replace the cover and the lights on the roof. Furthermore, they will make the subway accessible to disabled passengers. The new elevator will have an increased capacity (1,000 kg), and its frame will be steel. The lift will be vandal-proof, and its construction will start this summer. 

Moreover, they will establish a new CCTV camera system with 246 IP cameras on the platforms and in the different halls and rooms. As a result, the train station will become safer, the Hungarian State Railways believe.

Chain Bridge Budapest handrail
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Guess which is the busiest railway station in Hungary!

Budapest-Belgrade railway Hungary trains delay

Close to 700 million passengers rode on the trains and buses of state-owned MÁV-Volán group last year, MÁV said on Sunday. But which one is the busiest railway station?

Almost 97 million passengers rode on MÁV-Start long-distance trains last year, while the business registered 4.75 billion passenger-kilometres, up from 3.1 billion in 2021. The share of long-distance rail tickets purchased online or using the MÁV mobile application reached 35 percent and the share bought at ticket machines rose to 18 percent.

Around 63 million passengers travelled on MÁV-HÉV rapid suburban rail trains in and around the capital last year. Volánbusz buses carried 539 million passengers and registered 6.9 billion passenger-kilometres in 2022.

The busiest railway station is Nyugati, with 18 million passengers in 2022. Vác stands out among the stations with 3.7 million passengers, napi.hu reports.

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Watch out: these are Hungary’s most problematic railways

Budapest-Belgrade railway Hungary trains delay

In Hungary, the railway network is quite extensive, you can travel to every corner of the country. However, some railways are more problematic than others. Read our article and have a look at the most problematic railways of Hugary!

Hvg.hu has collected the railways with the most issues. To compare them, they gave points for delays. However, difficulties due to accidents were not taken into account.

The most problematic railways

The Budapest-Záhony line, ranked first in both 2020 and 2021, topped the list on January 1 and remained there throughout. The second place goes to the Budapest-Újszász-Szolnok-Békéscsaba-Lőkösháza line. In 2021, the Lőkösháza line came second, but while the Záhony line won 264.5-168.5 then, this time the final result was 223.5-209. This means that this time, there were much fewer problems on the Záhony line than last year. As for the third place, the Budapest-Hatvan-Miskolc-Sátoraljaújhely line was the third most problematic.

Top ten

As a new line, the Szeged-Békéscsaba line between Szeged and Hódmezővásárhely was established, it changed the list. It entered the top 10 and knocked out the Székesfehérvár-Szombathely railway line. In addition, the Győr-Celldömölk, Győr-Veszprém and Szerencs-Nyíregyháza lines have been out of service since 2021.

These are the top ten most problematic railways:

  1. Budapest-Cegléd-Debrecen-Záhony
  2. Budapest-Újszász-Békéscsaba-Lőkösháza
  3. Budapest-Hatvan-Miskolc-Sátoraljaújhely
  4. Budapest-Székesfehérvár-Nagykanizsa-Gyékényes
  5. Budapest-Győr-Rajka
  6. Budapest-Pécs
  7. Szeged-Békéscsaba
  8. Budapest-Vác-Szob
  9. Budapest-Lajosmizse-Kecskemét
  10. Budapest-Esztergom

The top twenty most problematic railways

In the second ten, for the most part, there are lines that are also quite important at the national level. They are not overwhelmed by the traffic of the capital agglomeration every day – with one exception: the Debrecen-Nagykereki line.

The following railway lines are in the top 20:

  • 11. Székesfehérvár-Szombathely
  • 12. Székesfehérvár-Tapolca
  • 13. Cegléd-Szeged
  • 14. Debrecen-Füzesabony
  • 15. Hatvan-Szolnok
  • 16. Miskolc-Hidasnémeti
  • 17. Hatvan-Somoskőújfalu
  • 18. Debrecen-Nagykereki
  • 19. Budapest-Veresegyház-Vác
  • 20. Bajánsenye-Zalaegerszeg-Boba

Problems in proportion to the distance

However, if we take the proportion to the distance into account, we may get different results. It is obvious that there are many more possibilities for error on the 335 kilometers between Budapest and Záhony than on a rural railway line. This is why HVG also calculated the error list by dividing the error points by the length of the line.

The most problematic lines in proportion to the distance:

  1. Nagyatád-Somogyszob
  2. Budapest-Esztergom
  3. Budapest-Vác-Szob
  4. Budapest-Újszász-Békéscsaba-Lőkösháza
  5. Szeged-Békéscsaba
  6. Budapest-Lajosmizse-Kecskemét
  7. Budapest-Hatvan-Miskolc-Sátoraljaújhely
  8. Budapest-Győr-Rajka
  9. Budapest-Cegléd-Debrecen-Záhony
  10. Tatabánya-Oroszlány

The unproblematic railways

Although many railway lines are unreliable, you can find some unproblematic ones, too. However, not many. There were three of the country’s 85 railway lines from which not a single error message was received throughout the year. These trains run between Szombathely-Kőszeg, Mátészalka and Csenger, Fertőszentmiklós and Neusiedl am See.

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Profound changes in the Hungarian railways

Keleti Railway Station MÁV

New stops have been added to the list of conditional stops by MÁV (Hungarian State Railways) to reduce overhead expenses. In addition, MÁV also aims to improve the punctuality of train arrivals with this action.

As the Hungarian news site napi.hu reports, during the December timetable change, the range of low-traffic stopping places, located on six different railway lines, has been expanded by fourteen. The change mainly affects the stations with generally low passenger traffic throughout the day. MÁV justified their decision by explaining that at these stations trains would stop only in the cases if passengers indicated their intention to alight in advance or if there were people waiting on the platform. They stress, however, that the trains would also stop if the engine driver was unable to judge whether there was a passenger who intended to get on or off the train.

According to the Hungarian Railways, by passing through low-traffic stations, hopefully, they will enhance energy efficiency by reducing the consumption of diesel and electricity. This would be possible due to fewer restarts and accelerations of trains from a stationary position. Moreover, MÁV also hopes to make up for some of the potential delays, making trains more punctual.

The railway lines affected by the changes are the following:

  • On the Balatonszentgyörgy―Tapolca―Ukk line, the stopping places of Gyenesdiás, Balatongyörök and Gógánfa (only the Helikon InterRégió trains),
  • on the Pusztaszabolcs—Pécs line, the stopping places of  Sáregres, Belecska, Szárazd, Regöly, Dúzs and Csibrák,
  • on the Sárbogárd―Bátaszék―Baja line, the stopping place of Szekszárd-Palánk,
  • on the Nagykanizsa―Pécs line, the stopping place of Zákány (only some passenger trains),
  • on the Vámosgyörk―Gyöngyös line, the stopping places of Kitérőgyár and Gyöngyöshalász,
  • on the Budapest―Újszász―Szolnok line, the stopping place of Zagyvarékas.

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An overview of the conditional stop system on MÁV lines

As napi.hu writes, MÁV implemented the so-called conditional stop system ten years ago, in 2013. Along with the system, a signalling equipment was also introduced, which allowed the passengers to indicate their intention to get off the trains.

In 2021 and 2022, the list has also been extended. Prior to this recent change, there were also a number of minor modifications regarding the system in April last year. As of April 2022, it is necessary to indicate in advance the intention to alight at certain stops on the Székesfehérvár-Tapolca, Pusztaszabolcs-Székesfehérvár and Székesfehérvár-Sárbogárd lines, as well as at most of the stops on tram-train services to Szeged and Hódmezővásárhely.

Sensational discovery, PHOTOS: antique village remnants found under the Belgrade-Budapest railway

Sarmatian village Serbia railway

Archaeologists found traces of an antique Sarmatian village under a segment of the Belgrade-Budapest railway before its construction started. The village is close to Kishegyes, a small town of approximately 5,000 residents, almost 90 percent of which are Hungarians.

Balázs Szűcs, the director of the Szabadka Cultural Heritage Institution, highlighted that they knew where they had to search for the village thanks to examinations conducted with modern equipment. Therefore, they expected that there would be something under the construction sites.

Now it is clear that an antique Sarmatian village existed near Kishegyes. He added that they do not regularly do excavations during the winter period. Currently, it was urgent to help the construction project continue. Thanks to the mild weather, they could carry out the work easier.

They removed the upper layer of the soil. Drone images show the shape of the antique buildings, ditches, and ovens the Sarmatians built between AD 1st and 5th centuries. They will be able to say precise data in the project’s second phase when they dig everything out, analyse and organise them systematically. Finally, of course, they will be exhibited.

Here are some photos about the sensational discovery from the Facebook page of the mayor of Kishegyes, István Sárközi:

The mayor said in his post that archaeologists expect Sarmatian and early-medieval findings in a territory that is almost 10 thousand square metres.

The Sarmatians were nomadic people, arriving to the Carpathian Basin in AD 1st century. There they settled down and merged with other peoples during the following centuries.

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No new Eurocity trains between Budapest and Vienna, Prague, Berlin, Warsaw

Modern trains Hungary railway

The government withdrew the relevant international public procurement tender but is still committed to buying 50 new Vectron locomotives. Below you may read the details.

The government decided to buy 39+10 new trains of at least seven carriages, capable of 230 km/h speed and able to partake in international traffic. The project would have meant 380 new carriages, meaning that 2/3rd of Hungary’s railway long-distance fleet could have been renewed, iho.hu said.

The Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) would have used the new trains between Budapest and Vienna, Prague, Berlin, later Budapest and Warsaw, Belgrade as Eurocity lines. Furthermore, they would have replaced some outdated domestic intercities, as well. However, the government withdrew its prior decision on 29 December without an explanation.

The decision means the budget will save hundreds of billions of forints.

Read also: PHOTOS: grandiose marble hall of Budapest railway station reopened

However, they still plan to buy 115 modern electric locomotives from Siemens Mobility for maximum HUF 70 billion (EUR 175 million). The financial source comes from a Eurofima loan.

Modernising the trains in Hungary is crucial. One option is to do so with the help of internal resources and knowledge. That is why the government launched the so-called IC+ program. As a result, 92 modern railway trains were modernised in 10 years.

Here are some photos:

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Joint Hungarian-Czech company to produce railway control and signalling equipment

Hungary Budapest-Belgrade railway

Rail transport and haulage are vitally important for the growth of the Hungarian economy, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Thursday, welcoming the launch of a joint company producing control and signalling equipment by Hungary’s V-Híd Építő and Czech market-leader AZD Praha.

Establishment of the Hungarian majority-owned JV V4SIL will not only create jobs but will also guarantee the future supply of skilled workers, he said. Szijjártó said that among the lessons to be learnt from the series of crises that typified recent years is the growing value of rail transport and haulage. During the coronavirus pandemic, supply chains often broke down, but the railways “proved to be crisis-proof”, he added.

The events of the recent period also demonstrated the extent to which vulnerable countries that were unable to keep their critical infrastructure under their own control had become, he said.

He also noted the railways’ favourable environmental aspects, adding that “if we’re able to transfer a large part of transport to railways, then we’ll be able to cut down a significant source of environmental pollution.”

Railway station Budapest marble hall
Read alsoPHOTOS: grandiose marble hall of Budapest railway station reopened

The daily delay of trains in Hungary is enormously big

Budapest-Belgrade railway Hungary trains delay

János Lázár, the minister for construction and investment, talked in a business meeting about the importance of good transport in social development. That is when he mentioned how many trains delay in Hungary every day. The number he shared is shockingly high.

According to 24.hu, Lázár said that the length of railway lines in Hungary exceeds 8,500 kilometres. However, a speed limit is on more than 50 percent of the system, while that rate is only 15 percent in Austria. Furthermore, he added, Hungarian trains delay 150-200 hours every day, making public transport impossible.

He said Budapest would get help, but would like to end the era of Budapest-centered developments. “The country needs to be put on rails”, he said. As a brand new idea, he talked about introducing county season tickets following the pattern of the Budapest season ticket. That version allows passengers to travel on 40-45 thousand lines for only HUF 9,500 (EUR 23.15) per month in Budapest.

He also highlighted the following projects of highest priority:

  • the development of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line,
  • building the V0 railway around Budapest,
  • the renewal of the entire HÉV system,
  • and establishing a fast train connection between Budapest and Cluj Napoca (Kolozsvár, Romania).

PHOTOS: grandiose marble hall of Budapest railway station reopened

Railway station Budapest marble hall

The renewed and beautified Marble Hall of Budapest’s Nyugati Railway Station has been given back to the passengers.

Budapest’s illustrious Western Railway station turned 145 years old today, and its Marble Hall is again in service of the passengers. The building’s entire roof has been renewed during the restoration project. Furthermore, the stone pillars, the glass wall and the upper glass stripe separating the hall from the rail tracks were renovated just like the outer brick surface.

Moreover, the reparation and surface treatment of the steel support structures, the plastering and painting of the inner walls were also carried out. The heating and lightning protection systems were renewed.

East-West Gate could become the largest railway hub for Ukrainian food exports Hungary Fényeslitke
Read alsoEurope’s largest onshore intermodal logistics terminal opened near Ukraine border

Information monitors were placed in the hall. Additionally, more ticket and season ticket vending machines were set up in the Nyugati railway station. Twelve of them were placed in the glass hall, eight in the marble hall, while four in the track hall, the Hungarian State Railway wrote on their Facebook page.

Below you may watch a video how the Nyugati railway station would have looked, had there been enough money. János Lázár, minister of construction and investment, said during the summer that there was no money to renew the station. A recently published government decree, however, appointed secretary for traffic, Dávid Vitézy, to supervise the renovation project in the framework of the Hungarian State Railways. Világgazdaság argues that the project may get a fresh boost thanks to that. 

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Europe’s largest onshore intermodal logistics terminal opened near Ukraine border

East-West Gate could become the largest railway hub for Ukrainian food exports Hungary Fényeslitke

Europe’s largest and most modern green concept land-based intermodal terminal has been built in record time, with a private investment of more than HUF 40 billion, in Fényeslitke, in the immediate vicinity of the Hungarian-Ukrainian border. Located at the junction of the wide and standard gauge railway tracks, the East-West Gate (EWG) can handle up to one million 20-foot containers per year and is suitable for loading trucks and conventional road semi-trailers onto rail. The EWG also has a significant capacity for transhipment of agricultural products, hence could soon become the largest rail hub for Ukrainian food exports. The first train carrying Ukrainian agricultural goods rolled into the terminal at the handover ceremony

Following the preparatory works, construction of the East-West Gate terminal started in January 2021 on an 85-hectare site the size of Margaret Island. A total of 10 kilometres of standard and wide-gauge railway track and 225,000 square metres of concrete pavement were built. A warehouse of 15,000 square metres is also available for use by the partners, and there is also the possibility of building additional loading and assembly facilities on the 140-hectare development site. EWG received the railway licence from the National Transport Authority in June, after a successful technological and technical trial run, which started in March this year and lasted several months.

Minister Szijjártó inaugurates the railway intermodal combi terminal

Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, inaugurated a 30 billion forint (EUR 73m) railway intermodal combi terminal in Fényeslitke, near Hungary’s border with Ukraine, on Tuesday.

Addressing the ceremony, Szijjártó said

the terminal will play an “enormous role” in facilitating exports of Ukrainian grain to trade routes on the Adriatic.

The terminal’s transshipment capacity will reach about 800 tonnes of grain per hour, while annual capacity is set to reach 1 million containers, he said.

He noted that the largest and most modern railway intermodal combi terminal in Europe had been completed in record time and using digital solutions. It will allow fast and safe loading of four 740-metre-long trains at the same time, he added. About 500 people will work at the East-West Gate terminal, Szijjártó said.

A new dimension in freight transport – revitalising the logistics area

In the region, which until 1990 was a major transit region for freight and a major source of employment, freight traffic and transhipment, necessitated by the gauge change, has been reduced in recent decades. However, the privately built EWG was completed in just over a year and can handle significant freight traffic with state-of-the-art technology.

The terminal can handle up to one million twenty-foot containers (TEUs) per year, making it the largest such facility on the continent in terms of theoretical capacity and area. The terminal is capable of trans loading containers between wide gauge and standard gauge, as well as between rail trains and trucks. EWG is also suitable for loading trucks and conventional road semi-trailers onto rail. This will allow to shift as much as possible of the freight traffic arriving by truck at the EU border to rail, in line with the EU’s climate objectives. EWG’s cranes are ATEX and ADR certified, so they can also trans load special materials such as gas container tanks and chemicals.

East-West Gate could become the largest railway hub for Ukrainian food exports Hungary Fényeslitke

The EWG also prepared for trans loading Ukrainian agricultural products, adapting to the war situation. From November 2022, it is expected to be capable of handling 800 tonnes of grain and 450 cubic metres of sunflower oil per hour, making it the largest rail hub for Ukrainian food exports. At the inauguration ceremony, the first train carrying Ukrainian agricultural goods, an EWG-organised consignment, rolled into the terminal. A total of 1,146 tons of wheat, millet and green peas shipped by Ugrain Trade LLC arrive in 44 twenty-foot containers, and after transshipment, they are transported to the Csepel Free Port.

“With the construction of the East-West Gate, Hungary is back on the map of international rail logistics“-  stressed János Tálosi. The CEO of the investor East-West Intermodal Logistics Zrt. added that the most advanced technologies available have been incorporated into the terminal, making transport faster and more accurate. “EWG is independent and its services are available to any rail and road freight company in the world, open to all freight forwarding operators and carriers“

– said János Tálosi.

Hungary Hungarian railway Ukraine grain
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5G and 3D digital twin at the 21st century terminal

EWG is the first in Europe to control cranes remotely using 5G technology. The terminal has a 41-metre wide and two 28-metre wide giant cranes on rails, as well as a 20-metre high rubber-tyre crane. The cranes, supplied by Austrian company Künz, are equipped with 20 high-resolution cameras, which, with the help of 5G, can be viewed in real time at the centre of the terminal and can react in the same way, without delay, so that they can control the cranes as if they were working in the crane cabin. The private 5G network required for this was built by Vodafone Hungary and the network equipment was supplied by Huawei.

“Investments in private 5G networks will clearly pay off, as new industrial and logistical business models can be built on next-generation mobile networks, which can contribute to the development of Hungarian companies, job creation, and last but not least, stimulate exports and make Hungary an attractive destination. A great example of this is the private 5G network deployed at the East-West Gate terminal, whose increased speed, capacity and minimal latency will enable the efficient and flexible operation of a smart rail combined terminal equipped with the latest devices, technologies, control and security equipment“

– said Mátyás Dobó, Deputy CEO of Vodafone Hungary’s Corporate Services Business Unit.

A realistic virtual twin of the terminal (Digital Twin) has also been created, which tracks the processes and operations of the logistics centre in real time and in 3D – the movement of trains, trucks, cranes, delivery vehicles and goods. Developed in cooperation between a Hungarian start-up and EWG, the solution is a world first in terms of complexity. MaxWhere collects, processes and displays information from all the subsystems of the logistics centre in real time, helping to plan, optimise and increase efficiency in accordance with the principles of Industry 4.0, using the terminal’s own 5G network.

Job creation and development in a lagging region

The investment, which was completely privately funded with more than HUF 40 billion, has directly created around 100 new jobs in the disadvantaged region, with further job growth expected by the middle of next year. In addition, the terminal will indirectly create jobs for five hundred people. Related to this investment, the company has carried out several billion HUF worth of improvements to the public rail network.

Budapest railway
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Trains to be shorter in Hungary due to the crisis

Shorter trains in Hungary energy crisis

The Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) received their first high electricity bills. Therefore, they decided to operate shorter trains to save electricity and money. They plan to spare HUF 122 million (EUR 292 thousand) with this measure. Below you may read the details. 

Dávid Vitézy, State Secretary of the Ministry of Technology and Industry of Hungary, wrote in a Facebook post that the Hungarian State Railways paid HUF 36 (EUR 0.086) for one kWh last year. That price rose to HUF 288 (EUR 0.69) in September. That means an eightfold increase. As a result, they made some decisions and, in the off-peak hours, they will operate shorter trains on the suburban railway lines. For example, on the Budapest-Esztergom line solo, Flirts will commute instead of the daily four double trains.

Furthermore, 4 Kiss trains will disappear from the Budapest-Monor line to be replaced by Flirts. That affects those who travel by train to or from the Ferenc Liszt International Airport.

The current measures will last until 10 December, and they mean to save almost EUR 300 thousand, 24.hu said.

 

Budapest railway
Read alsoWill Hungary produce railway vehicles in the future?

Will Hungary produce railway vehicles in the future?

Budapest railway

The state has probably let go of its cherished dream of 10 years about reviving the Hungarian domestic railway vehicle production. At least that is what can be deduced from Dávid Vitézy’s Facebook post. He announced an international tender for the largest purchase of vehicles in recent years.

IC+ project

In 2010, the government announced that its goal is “to restart the traditional Hungarian railway vehicle production” and the development of modern railway vehicles (railway cars, metros, etc.). They got EU funding for the project, 462 million HUF (1,15 million EUR), and developed prototypes by 2013. These trains’ maximum velocity was 200 km/h. While the project was growing and producing other types of vehicles as well, the IC+ coaches got full permission in 2016.

They announced that the Hungarian government allocates 30 billion HUF (74.36 million EUR) for the production of 100 IC+ coaches for the period between 2016 and 2019.  The reason for the complaints was the price because for the same amount Siemens already sold better vehicles by then. The humour of the story is that the most expensive parts of the Hungarian products were ordered from Siemens.

Due to workforce shortage, production fell and the IC+ project was halted. This caused a huge shortage of cars in recent years at MÁV-Start – the subsidiary of MÁV Zrt. (Hungarian State Railway), which performs passenger transport duties – which continues to this day.

Importing railway vehicles

In the following years, Hungary would acquire 380 high-speed (230 km/h) Intercity railcars and 50 control trailers, and also because of a previous tender, 50 Siemens Vectron-type electric locomotives. For the latter, the government will spend 70 billion HUF (174.35 million EUR), but in case the currency will continue to be weak, they might not be able to afford all 50 vehicles.

Buying all planned trains would be way over the budget for Hungary, so the government came up with a new solution. The railway company would not order the carriages from the vehicle manufacturer but only service packages. In the short term, this is significantly cheaper than buying the cars from MÁV-Start, but in the longer term it will be terribly expensive, writes HVG. Especially, if the forint will further deteriorate.

The new trains will probably start to operate at the end of 2024, or more likely only in 2025.

Hungarian-German working group set up for transport cooperation

germany hungary flag

The governments of Hungary and Germany have set up a working group to boost cooperation in transport and the transport industry, the innovation and technology ministry’s state secretary said in Berlin on Tuesday.

Speaking to public media, Dávid Vitézy assessed talks he held with Volker Wissing, Germany’s federal minister for transport, on the sidelines of InnoTrans, Europe’s largest transport and transport technology fair.

A closer cooperation with Germany will allow the implementation of Hungary’s plan to put hydrogen-powered motor trains into operation on non-electrified railway lines, he said.

Vitézy said he also held talks with chief executives of Knorr-Bremse and Siemens, German companies also operating in Hungary. The government welcomed the strategic agreement concluded by Hungarian-owned Magyar Vagon with Siemens on the modernisation of railway transport technologies, he said.

InnoTrans opened in Berlin on Monday and has drawn 2,834 exhibitors from 56 countries.

Keleti railway station Budapest train MÁV
Read alsoOn Thursday you can travel as far as you like on a single train ticket in Hungary

On Thursday you can travel as far as you like on a single train ticket in Hungary

Keleti railway station Budapest train MÁV

On Thursday’s car-free day, a single ticket will be valid for travel all day, for any distance, in any number of vehicles in Hungary, the Minister of State for Transport of the Ministry of Technology and Industry said on his Facebook page on Monday.

If the passenger purchases an interurban MÁV-Start, Volánbusz, GYSEV, MÁV-HÉV ticket valid for any distance on Thursday, he can travel all around the country until the end of the day.

The extra ticket for fast trains does not have to be bought separately, but the extra IC ticket, the local ticket and the long-distance bus comfort surcharge do if the ticket is not for such a train or bus on that day.

Tickets for journeys of less than 100 kilometres are valid for 4 hours only, but can be used nationally until the end of the day on 22 September, he said.

The tickets are valid in 2nd class, and a long-distance ticket converted to 1st class will only be valid in first class on the train for which it is valid; the ticket will only be valid in second class on other services during the day. The details of the promotion are available in Hungarian here: mav.hu/egyjeggyel

Vitézy train
Read alsoHydrogen-powered trains coming to Hungary?

Hungarian railways aiding delivery of Ukraine grain

Hungary Hungarian railway Ukraine grain

Hungary is making strenuous efforts to ensure that grain stuck in Ukraine leaves the war-stricken country by rail, Dávid Vitézy, state secretary at the technology and industry ministry, said on Thursday.

The amount of grain crossing the Hungarian-Ukrainian border in the region of Záhony has increased eight and a half fold since January and the number of grain wagons waiting on the Ukrainian side of the border has decreased from over 4,500 to below 3,000, Vitezy said on Facebook.

Fully 12.4 billion forints (EUR 30.6m) are earmarked for extending and upgrading the rail network in the Záhony region.

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Plant hygiene checks have been accelerated and engine-drivers regrouped to beef up staff, he said.

Vitézy said that due to the drought, Hungary was also buying grain from Ukraine.

The state secretary said Hungary would make further efforts to aid the transport of Ukrainian grain to its markets, which, he added, was a common interest of both countries, the European Union and the non-European recipients.

Hungary Hungarian railway Ukraine grain
Read alsoHungarian railways aiding delivery of Ukraine grain