Keleti Railway Station will be closed for four weeks starting from August 25 due to renovation works, the CEO of the MÁV Group announced.
Zsolt Hegyi recalled that two derailments at the end of last summer and the beginning of autumn highlighted the urgent need to accelerate the renovation of Keleti, Hungary’s busiest railway station. One of his first decisions as CEO last autumn was to launch the Keleti Program, he noted.
However, the main phase of the work is only starting now: from August 25, the station will undergo a full closure for four weeks to carry out comprehensive technical upgrades.
The CEO explained that switches, tracks, and overhead lines will be replaced, with the scale of the work aimed at securing the station’s operations for years to come.
He emphasized that closing the country’s largest station is never convenient, as track closures always result in longer travel times and inconvenience. Thanking passengers in advance for their patience, Hegyi noted that, just as during the Rákosrendező track closures, alternative Volánbus routes will be provided, and MÁV is working closely with Budapest’s public transport company BKK.
The Keleti Program represents MÁV’s largest railway maintenance project in 2025, he highlighted.
According to the MÁV Group’s statement, regular services will temporarily not depart from or arrive at Keleti Railway Station. These changes will significantly affect passengers on the Győr, Pécs, Hatvan-Miskolc, and Újszász-Békéscsaba lines. Several transfer points will be established in Budapest, which will be easily accessible via HÉV, Volánbus, and BKK services from all parts of the city.
This is the largest investment at Keleti since its 2019 renovation. Most of the work concerns technical upgrades, with a smaller portion affecting passenger areas. During the complete service shutdown until September 20, work will continue around the clock. Tracks, switches, and over 2,000 sleepers will be replaced, ballast will be replenished, and three kilometers of track will be screened. Track alignment will be carried out over 14 kilometers, and 16 kilometers of the overhead network will be repaired. Additionally, maintenance and replacement of electrical distribution systems serving both operational and passenger areas are planned, along with integrating them into a remote monitoring system. The platform between tracks 1 and 2 will be rebuilt, platform canopies will undergo maintenance, and pavement repairs will also be carried out.
Several solutions are being prepared to manage temporary traffic arrangements in September when commuting for work and school increases, as well as to reroute the traditionally busy summer long-distance services. These renovations have been deliberately scheduled to coincide with the end of the school holidays, the statement concluded.
(MTI)
