The objective of government in Budapest is to improve the performance of the Hungarian railways by investing in its infrastructure and signalling, and the modernisation of the rolling stock. This has been assisted in recent years by the installation of modern safety devices, the modernisation of traffic control, the electrification of the trunk network, the introduction of modern passenger coach cars in intercity services and improvement of railway transport access for disable people.
Hungary is interested in developing railway connections at the Romanian border not just for international trains, but also for regional trains”, declared GyorgyZarand, Deputy Director MAV Start at the Railway Days Summit 2012. A first step was made in August when CFR Călători and MAV Trakcio signed an agreement on the mutual haulage of international trains on the route Bucharest-Budapest when the two countries also decided to set up a Working Group for the development of cross-border connections between the two countries. Therefore, if the border can be currently crossed through five existing points, the other six crossing points that are closed can also be developed with a minimum of investments. Three of the existing border points are only of regional interest. “The routes on which we can introduce trains at regular intervals are Békéscsaba–Arad–Timisoara, Püspökladány–Oradea–ClujNapocaand Szeged–Békéscsaba–Kötegyán–Salonta–Oradea”, added the deputy director of MAV Start.
MAV proposes trains every two hours and to use the rolling stock from the two domestic operators. Also, MAV has once more expressed its wish to reopen the closed railway links Debrecen – Oradea, Gyoma – Oradea and Mateszalka – Satu Mare. The most important financing solution for the implementation of these opportunities is the structural funds from the European Union through the cross-border cooperation programmes and through state aids for rolling stock.
The improvement of the suburban and regional railway transport has a very important place on MAV’s agenda as part of a strategic development programme deve-
loped up to 2015.
MAV Start, the passenger transport division of Hungarian company MAV, and regional operator GySEV launched a joint tender for the delivery of electric units at the end of November.
The contract tendered referred to the acquisition of 48 electric units, at least 50% low-floor and with a capacity of at least 200 passengers. Overall, MAV will receive 42 trains and the remaining 6 will be entrusted to GySEV.
In Hungary, railway transport plays an important role in mobility with a share of 40% in interurban railway traffic.
The daily public transport usage in the capital conurbation is 3.8 million journeys, which almost reaches capacity at the present technical condition. Several hundred thousand people come and go to and from Budapest every day: 160,000 people arrive and leave by train, 11,000 of them on a daily basis. At present there is increasing demand for having adequate railway transport for long-distance and suburban or local transport.
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