Strong winds brought down a tree at Bicske Lower (Bicske alsó) railway station on Friday morning, tearing down overhead power lines and causing major disruption on one of Hungary’s busiest rail routes.

Train services between Bicske and Herceghalom have been suspended, with passengers facing significantly longer journey times and replacement bus transfers. According to MÁV, the disruption is expected to continue until the afternoon.

The fallen tree reportedly struck both tracks’ overhead wires and also fell partly onto a train arriving at the station. The S10 service that left Győr at 7:38 am for Budapest’s Déli railway station was unable to continue beyond Bicske Lower.

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How train services are affected

MÁV has introduced changes to several services on the Budapest–Győr line:

  • RailjetXpress trains from Győr terminate at Szárliget, while services run between Herceghalom and Budapest-Keleti.
  • EuroCity trains from Győr terminate at Tatabánya, with services operating between Herceghalom and Budapest-Keleti.
  • Savaria and Scarbantia InterCity trains run only between Sopron or Szombathely and Tatabánya.
  • S12 suburban trains operate only between Oroszlány and Tatabánya.
  • S10 trains run in separate sections between Győr and Szárliget, and between Herceghalom and Budapest-Déli.
  • Replacement buses operate between Herceghalom and Szárliget.

The replacement buses stop at Herceghalom railway station, Bicske’s Műszaki Áruház and railway station, Szár railway stop, and Szárliget railway station.

Passengers travelling between Budapest and western Hungary should allow extra time and check the latest information before setting off.

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Railway maintenance underway

The incident comes as MÁV carries out maintenance work along the Budapest–Győr–Hegyeshalom railway line ahead of the December timetable change.

Transport and Investment Minister Dávid Vitézy said around 26 kilometres of track were being maintained, with speed restrictions removed or prevented on nearly three kilometres. The work is expected to eliminate restrictions currently adding up to 12 minutes to journey times.

More than ten locations between Budaörs and Hegyeshalom are involved, including Bicske, Tatabánya, Tata, Almásfüzitő, Komárom, Győr and Mosonmagyaróvár. The programme includes moving at least 8,000 tonnes of crushed stone, replacing wooden sleepers with reinforced concrete ones at three sets of points, and renewing sections of track.

The aim is to reduce technical disruptions, improve punctuality and make train services more reliable.