Double-decker trains are being introduced on six services to and from Budapest in a project to improve regional rail transport in Hungary. The services cover a large part of the country, crossing all NUTS 1 regions: Közép-Magyarország, Dunántúl and Alföld és Észak. The new coaches will allow more passengers to travel on the lines and in better comfort, with WiFi, security cameras and power sockets among the on-board equipment. Step-free access and wheelchair spaces accommodate people with reduced mobility, while dedicated bicycle areas support healthy, low-polluting travel choices.
- 04 July 2019
The double decker trains will be composed of units of six air-conditioned coaches. Units will have a total capacity of 600 seats, all second class, and four toilets. An audio-visual system will keep passengers informed about their journey.
Hungarian national passenger train operator MAV-START expects services to become more profitable, easier to operate and faster as the higher-capacity trains reduce travel bottlenecks. The modern units are expected to encourage travellers to switch to rail from cars, reducing noise, congestion, road accidents and pollution near the impacted lines.
High-performance stock
Units will be able to operate at up to 160 km/hour and will replace old rolling stock. They will meet national and EU operational requirements, running on a standard gauge at a voltage of 25 kV DC, and be equipped with the national automatic train protection system and the latest version of the European on-board train control system for high-speed trains.
MAV-START will maintain the units at its existing Szolnok depot, which the company will adapt to the new trains using non-EU funds.
Improved services
Faster trip times are a main goal of the investment, which is contributing to more sustainable transport in Hungary. On weekdays, the new trains will run on the line 70 service between Budapest Nyugati, Vác and Szob, just over 50 km north of the capital by rail, and on line 100 between Budapest, Cegled and Szolnok, a city about 100 km south-east of Budapest.
On weekends during the summer, the units will serve the line 30a service between Budapest-Déli, Martonvásár and Székesfehérvár and the line 30 service between Budapest-Déli, Székesfehérvár, Siófok and Keszthely, both linking Budapest and the lakes region in Hungary’s south-west. On weekends outside the summer, they will supply the circle InterCity services to the city of Nyíregyháza in Hungary’s north east along line 100 linking Budapest Nyugati, Debrecen and Nyíregyháza and line 80 linking Budapest-Kelet, Miskolc and Nyíregyháza.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Rolling stock development by procuring high capacity multiple unit trains for Máv Start Co.” is EUR 195 259 594, with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 165 970 655 through the “Integrated Transport” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Transport and energy networks”.