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BUDAPEST
 Hungary

Budapest Metro Map © UrbanRail.Net

 BUDAPEST

The capital of Hungary is the result of the unification in 1873 of 3 cities: Buda and Óbuda on the western side of the Danube and Pest on the eastern side. Today, Budapest has approximately 1.7 million inhabitants.

With the opening of line M4 in 2014, Budapest now has a 4-line metro system, with the original three lines intersecting in the city centre at Deák Ferenc tér.

 Line M1 "Földalatti"

Line M1 (5 km) was opened in 1896 between Vörösmarty tér in the centre and Széchenyi fürdő as the first electric underground (Földalatti) line on the European mainland. Almost 80 years later, in 1973, the line was extended to Mexikói út. This line is different from the other two in dimensions, directly under the street, and only 6 m wide and 2.75 m high. Therefore special trains had to be built and a fixed catenary had be installed. For the 100th Anniversary all stations were restored and once again exhibit their historic splendor.

02-05-1896 Vörösmarty tér (formerly Gizella tér) - Széchenyi fürdő (formerly aboveground and named Artézi fürdő)
30-12-1973 section Hősök tere - Széchenyi fürdo put underground and extended to Mexikói Út
1995-1996 complete renovation of the line

More about line M1

Budapest Metro M1 Budapest Metro M1

 Line M2

Line M2 (10 km) is an east-west line connecting both major railway stations, Déli (South station) and Keleti (East station). It runs on the surface between Pillangó utca and the eastern terminus Örs vezér tere. Although construction had started already in the 1950s, this line was only opened between 1970 (Deák Ferenc tér - Örs vezér tere) and 1972 (Deák Ferenc tér - Déli pu.). Between 2004 and 2007, M2 underwent total refurbishing. Since it is the busiest line in the city, stations were only closed during summer months while major work was carried out. The route was upgraded with a modern signalling system that allow one-man operation.

02-04-1970 Deák Ferenc tér - Örs vezér tere
22-12-1972 Deák Ferenc tér - Déli pályaudvar

More about line M2

Budapest Metro M2 Budapest Metro M2

 Line M3

Line M3 (17.3 km) is a north-south connection on the Pest side of the city. Apart from the southern terminus Köbánya-Kispest, all stations are underground. The first part (Deák tér - Nagyvárad tér) opened in 1976, in various stages it was extended in both directions. In 1990 it reached Újpest Központ (with a station design that pays tribute to 1970's stations in Munich or Berlin).

31-12-1976 Deák Ferenc tér - Nagyvárad tér
20-04-1980 Nagyvárad tér - Kobánya-Kispest
30-12-1981 Deák Ferenc tér - Lehel tér
07-11-1984: Lehel tér - Árpád híd (now
Göncz Árpád városközpont)
14-12-1990: Árpád híd (now
Göncz Árpád városközpont) - Újpest-Központ

More about line M3

Budapest Metro M3 Budapest Metro M3 Budapest Metro M3

 Line M4

Line M4 (7.4 km) runs totally underground between Keleti and Kelenföldi railway stations crossing M3 at Kálvin ter, then under the Danube river to Szt. Gellért ter and south-west through Buda. After long delays, the first section (Kelenföldi/Etele tér - Keleti pályaudvar) eventually was brought into service in spring 2014. Line M4 is prepared for driverless operation, although initially drivers will remain in a temporary driver's cab. The track area is surveilled by a infrared system, as no platform screen doors have been installed.

28 March 2014: Kelenföld vasútállomás - Keleti pályaudvar

View many station photos and learn more about line M4 here.

Budapest Metro M4 Budapest Metro M4

 Projects

M4 - in a second stage this line was supposed to be extended northeast from Keleti pályaudvar to Bosnyák tér, although a new tram line is now planned to be build along this corridor instead. View map!

Line M5 is planned to link the northern and the southern suburban (HÉV) lines. The line will be underground from Kaszásdűlő to Könyves Kálmán körút (Lágymányosi bridge), via Boráros tér. Other parts will include existing suburban routes {Kaszásdűlő - Szentendre, Könyves K. körút - Csepel, K. K. körút - Ráckeve}.The first segment of this route may be constructed by 2012, between Lágymánosi híd / Közvágóhíd - Boráros tér - Kálvin tér, linking the existing HÉV-lines to metro lines M3 and M4.

Line M2 may be united with Gödöllő suburban line, which is an old project. The Urban and Suburban Transit Association (VEKE) elaborated a very detailed plan for it.

In the long term, M3 might be extended northwards from Újpest-Központ to Káposztásmegyer, with 3-5 stations. A southern extension to the Ferihegy Airport has been proposed.

M1 may be extended to Rákosrendező rail station.

See a map illustrating all current projects (by Ádám Kovács).

 Book

Tram Atlas Central EuropeRobert Schwandl:

TRAM ATLAS MITTELEUROPA | CENTRAL EUROPE

Tschechien, Slowakei & Ungarn | Czech Republic, Slovakia & Hungary

160 pages; detailed network maps; ca. 300 colour photos
Text deutsch & English
ISBN 978 3 936573 48 0
03/2017

Unlike in Western Europe, many first-generation tramways have survived in the eastern part of Central Europe. This book covers every tram system in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary (for Poland a separate volume was published in 2017!) as well as the two metro systems in Prague and Budapest and the numerous trolleybus systems. As always, the book is illustrated with detailed network maps, and hundreds of colour photographs of almost all the current rolling stock and many of the metro stations.

 HÉV (Suburban Rail)
Out of four HÉV-lines, only two are directly connected to the metro system.

The line to Szentendre (H5) in the north leaves from Batthyány tér (M2) and runs underground as far as Margit híd. During day time trains run every 10 minutes with every second train only as far as Békásmegyer (city limit). This Stadtbahn type has level crossings all along the route.

The eastern line to Csömör (H9) and Gödöllö (H8) leaves from M2's eastern terminus at Örs vezér tere with trains every 20 minutes.

The two southern lines to Csepel (H7) and Ráckeve (H6) can only be reached by bus or tram.


Mogyoród | Rákóczi híd


Gödöllö | Boráros tér

 Metro Museum

At Deák Ferenc tér, in the former Földalatti station, there is a Metro Museum showing the original trains of today's M1 and illustrating the history of the Budapest Metro.

 Links

BKV Official Site - Public Transport in Budapest

BKK Official Site - Budapest Transport Authority

Line 4 project includes detailed information on stations and construction

METROS by Ádám Kovács
    incl. Detailed map showing all rail transport in Budapest, from mainline railways to trams

Millenium Subway by Akos Varga (about M1 and trams)

Budapest Metro at Wikipedia

Track map (by Stefan Baumgartner)

Földalatti > about the former surface section of the present M1

Földalatti > about the old rolling stock on the present M1

BLOG: Your webmaster's impressions on the for Budapest metro & tram system (April 2014)

 Trains

81 stock 81 stock 81 stock

stock stock

 

Basic Hungarian for metro users:

földalatti - underground, felé - direction, tér - square, híd - bridge, pályaudvar - rail station, kijárat - exit


Former names:

Lehel tér was Élmunkás tér until 1989
Ferenciek tere was Felszabadulás tér until 1989
Puskás Ferenc Stadion was Népstadion until 2002 and Stadionok until 2011
Oktogon was November 7. tér until 1989
Nyugati pályaudvar was Marx tér until 1989
Széll Kálmán tér was Moszkva tér until 2011
Rákóczi híd was Lágymányosi híd until 2011
Corvin-negyed was Ferenc körút until 2011
Göncz Árpád városközpont was Árpád híd until 2019

 


2011 © UrbanRail.Net by Robert Schwandl.