Vandals destroy Budapest cogwheel under renovation

The renovation of the tourist favourite Budapest cogwheel was almost finished when vandals decided to interfere. They have caused HUF millions in damage. Police are investigating.

A similar incident has happened before, when foreign graffiti artists were the culprits, Index reports. They have been arrested by the police, who are still investigating the recent graffiti.

What happened to the cogwheel?

Photo: Wikimedia Commons by Ole-john

On the night of 7 May, the carriage siding of the Budapest Cogwheel Railway in Városmajor was broken into. It happened despite the fact that the site is protected by security services. The paintwork on the 56 engine carriage of the “supercogwheel” (“szuperfogas”), which was undergoing final assembly in the lifting workshop, was badly damaged and spray-painted. The workshop was locked, and the lock was broken, a transport professional said on his Facebook page.

The damage is significant

Photo: Wikimedia Commons by Andor Elekes Derzsi

Bálint Hajtó recalled that the locomotive was recently transferred from the Railway Vehicle Repair Shop (Vasúti Járműjavító, VJSZ) to Városmajor on 3 May, to complete the renovation work in the workshop of the Cogwheel Railway (Fogaskerekű Vasút). The Budapest Transport Company (BKV) told Index that the renovation is being severely hampered by the crime. A large part of the vehicle needs to be repaired. According to initial investigations, the damage is almost HUF 1.5 million, according to the transport company.

Unfortunately, this is likely to delay the launch of the cogwheel.