The EU is funding the upgrade of the railway between the village of Szajol and the city of Debrecen in Hungary’s North Great Plain region. The line is 111 km long and the upgrades are being carried out in several stages. The current project focuses on the first part of the second stage, which covers the modernisation of the 31.25 km section between the town of Püspökladány and the village of Ebes.
- 13 July 2018
Set for completion in 2020, the section involves the replacement of all existing infrastructure. This includes the ballast, subballast and subgrade substructure, the rails and sleepers, signalling and telecommunications systems, overhead lines for transmitting electrical energy to trains, station platforms and level crossings.
As a result, the technical parameters of the line will be improved, allowing it to handle faster trains and heavier loads. Maximum speed is being increased to 160 km/h and the maximum load per axle will rise to 22.5 tonnes.
Completed and ongoing stages
The first stage of the project, implemented between 2011 and 2015, involved the reconstruction of the Szajol-Püspökladány section. Work under the second part of the second stage (stage 2.2) is expected to be completed in 2021 and includes the modernisation of the remainder of the line between Ebes and Debrecen, as well as upgrades to Debrecen station.
A further element of stage 2.2 is the installation of the European Train Control System (ETCS) along the entire route. The ETCS is the signalling, brake and speed control component of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). This is an automatic train protection standard intended to replace the various national control and command systems used by various countries with a view to creating a seamlessly interoperable railway network.
In line with its functions, ERTMS has to be installed at track side and on board trains. Its other main component is the GSM-Railway (GSM-R) wireless communications standard. Based on GSM technology and using frequencies specifically adapted for railways, GSM-R ensures secure and reliable voice and data transmission between track and train.
EU funding for different phases
The total budget for the modernisation of the Püspökladány-Ebes section is close to EUR 328 million. Of this, about 250 million is eligible for funding, and the EU is contributing over EUR 212 million from its Cohesion Fund through the Integrated transport operational programme. One of the priorities of this programme, which runs during 2014-2020, is to improve international railway accessibility. The reconstruction of the track between Szajol and Püspökladány received EU funding under the 2007-2013 transport operational programme.
All of the track covered under stage two is in Hajdú-Bihar county, of which Debrecen, Hungary’s second largest city, is the capital. Most of that upgraded in stage one is in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, the capital of which is the city of Szolnok, situated just to the west of Szajol.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Development of the Szajol – Debrecen railway line section: modernisation of the Püspökladány (excl.) – Ebes (incl.) line section” is EUR 327 798 051, with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 212 149 512 through the “Integrated Transport” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period.