Reconstruction of third metro line to end in 2019
Renovation of the capital’s third metro line (M3) will be completed by 2019 at the earliest, Budapest mayor István Tarlós said in an interview published by Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet today.
Rather than buying new trains, which would have cost HUF 90 bln, the city decided to spend HUF 60 bln on renovating the rusty, fourty-year old Soviet-made carriages. The works will be financed by a loan.
"The old trains will not be replaced; their renovation and modernization will start this year and will be completed in 2015," the mayor said.
Sections of the line assessed to become unsafe within 2 years will be upgraded by 2016 at the earliest, Tarlós added. Full reconstruction of the M3 line is expected to cost about HUF 100 bln.
The preliminary phase, aimed at a detailed technical evaluation of the metro line, will cost HUF 1.8 bln, two thirds financed from municipal coffers and the rest from European Union funds.
The upgrade is badly needed as the line has seen no renovations in the last 35 years of operation and has a daily usage of approximately 540,000 passengers, more than the entire rail nework of Hungary. The wear on the line is beginning to show, and technical problems threaten the metro's operation and passenger safety.
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