The coming six years until 2030 will see the Hungarian railway network undergoing significant upgrades. No matter their necessity, those upgrades are also expected to produce considerable traffic disruptions. The Hungarian rail logistics sector and the country’s infrastructure manager have agreed on a strategy to move forward harmoniously in this challenging environment while ensuring that rail keeps serving customers.
In particular, the Association of Hungarian Logistics Service Centres (MLSZKSZ) and the Hungarian infrastructure manager MÁV held meetings before the launch of multiple infrastructure upgrades. They agreed to coordinate closely during this process. MLSZKSZ mentioned that the two parties will hold regular consultations so that railway carriers are adequately informed and prepared even for the basics, like stockpiling goods, planning detour routes, or, at least, knowing that they need to plan with longer travel times.
“The domestic industrial development wave requires significant development of the transport infrastructure. With the cooperation we started with MÁV, we can plan in advance the smooth logistics service of our economic partners and thus contribute to the companies’ continuous and efficient operation. This can reduce uncertainty and prevent an unexpected outage of services,” stressed Zsolt Fülöp, president of MLSZKSZ.
The development comes just days after another industry body, HUNGRAIL, voiced concerns over the simultaneous infrastructure work occurring this August. Lacking proper coordination, this work creates issues for intermodal operations.
Big upgrades-big disruptions
As mentioned, Hungary has already embarked on an intensive infrastructure upgrade programme, with work underway in several locations. The impacted railway lines include the country’s busiest railway section, the Budapest Southern Circular Railway, the Miskolc line, several railway sections in the Debrecen area, and the Gubacsi Bridge, which is crucial for reaching the Csepeli Free Port. In addition, the Budapest-Belgrade railway line is being built, and the construction of the V0 bypassing the capital can also begin.
MLSZKSZ underlines that “approximately 1,600 kilometres of railway lines will be developed in the next six years. The closures and diversions pose a difficulty in logistics, which accounts for five per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP). In addition, due to the significant wave of industrial development—for example, car and battery factories—the demand for transportation will increase,” meaning that the need for reliable rail logistics will sharpen, too.