VIDEO: Large railway construction project reaches new phase in Hungary

The next phase of the development of the Southern Circular Railway, a major railway construction project in Hungary, started on Monday, 15 January, the Ministry of Construction and Transport (Építési és Közlekedési Minisztérium, ÉKM) said in a statement. The aim is to upgrade the railway from two to three, and even four tracks.

The railway line between Ferencváros and Kelenföld stations in Budapest will be renewed and extended, a new Danube bridge has been built, and three new stations will be built, called Nádorkert, Közvágóhíd and Népliget, Magyar Építők reports.

On 15 January, the next phase of the Southern Circular Railway development started, according to a statement by the Ministry of Construction and Transport. The project aims to rebuild the railway line by extending it from two to three tracks, sometimes four. The works come after the project received its third environmental permit on 24 November 2023.

What is the importance of the Southern Circular Railway?

Photo: PrtScr/Youtube

The aim of the development is to increase the number of suburban trains running between the agglomeration and Budapest, as well as to make the railway competitive and play a greater role in Budapest’s transport system through new stops and connections. In addition, the line section will also be a key element of the Budapest-Hegyeshalom-Rajka railway line (which is the most important line of the country), and is therefore also of major international importance.

“The project has the potential to increase freight traffic capacity to and through Budapest, while enhancing passenger transport options, including improving transport between Kelenföld and Ferencváros, and providing better connections to metro and HÉV lines, while respecting the interests of the public,” ÉKM said in a recent statement.

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The project in numbers

The project involves the construction of 600 metres of 4 tracks on the Pest side, 1800 metres of 3 tracks on the Buda side and a further 1700 metres of 4 tracks. In addition, three new stations will be built: Közvágóhíd and Népliget in Pest, and Nádorkert in Buda. What is more, a special noise barrier will be built over a length of approximately 1500 metres.

In Pest, two railway bridges will be built and renovated, while in Buda, five will be built and renovated. The interventions will involve widening the existing two-track structures to three or four tracks, with the construction of new superstructures.

How positive is the development project?

Railway line no. 1. Source: mavcsoport.hu

However, as Átlátszó wrote back in October 2023, the reception of the new project was not all too positive. On the one hand, hundreds of trees will have to be felled along the line, and “the track widening would take place directly next to residential houses in one stretch, while there could also be land expropriations in the countryside”. On the other hand, while the official reason for the extension is to increase the number of passenger trains, the reality includes a “shocking increase of freight traffic”. According to Átlátszó, the Budapest-Belgrade line will serve freight traffic from China.