An accessible platform is being constructed at Budapest’s Keleti Railway Station, MÁV Group CEO Zsolt Hegyi announced on his Facebook page on Monday. According to information from Mávinform, in connection with the construction works, from January 12 until the end of February the terminus of numerous Transdanubian train services will be relocated to Kelenföld.
The CEO wrote that passenger services on the Budapest–Belgrade line will start at the end of February, with some trains to be operated by InterCity multiple units purchased by the Serbian railway from China’s CRRC. For this, the Chinese-built trainset must obtain regulatory approval in Hungary, a process that is progressing well.
However, these vehicles do not have the fold-out auxiliary steps commonly found on MÁV multiple units. Therefore, before traffic begins, the platforms at at least two tracks will need to be raised by approximately 25 centimeters from their current level. This will ensure the platform height already established at the other stations on the Belgrade line as part of the project, Hegyi Zsolt added.
He emphasized that these will be the first accessible tracks at Keleti Railway Station, and that this will be the first MÁV investment implemented in 2026 using the company’s own resources, with a value of approximately 300 million forints.
The CEO noted that the work is made possible by the fact that, during this period, fewer trains arrive at Keleti Railway Station due to the construction of the Southern Railway Ring, allowing the two tracks to be taken out of service while the platforms are being rebuilt.
Mávinform also announced on its website that, due to works related to the construction of the third track between Ferencváros and Kelenföld and the development of the Budapest–Belgrade railway line, the traffic order will change: between January 12 and February 28, the terminus of numerous long-distance Transdanubian services and Z42 trains will be moved to Kelenföld, while their timetables will otherwise remain unchanged.
During this period, trains will arrive at and depart from Kelenföld instead of Keleti Railway Station—with some exceptions—including the Mecsek and Kaposvár InterCity services, the Sopron-bound Scarbantia, the Szombathely-bound Savaria, Dráva and Mura InterCity services, as well as several G10 and Rába InterRegio trains.
The platform at tracks 12 and 13 at Keleti Railway Station will be rebuilt by February, and after services begin, trainsets arriving from the directions of Délegyháza, Kelebia and Belgrade will use these tracks.
“Taking into account the requests of local governments and residents of the region, not only international but also suburban services will arrive at and depart from the main station,” they wrote.
Details of the timetable changes are also published on the Mávinform website.
