The idea of building a new underground public transport line to
connect south-western and north-eastern areas of Budapest had
already been raised in the 1970s. The first feasibility study of this
metro line was created in 1996. Construction started in 2004 with
the implementation of a new entrance of a connecting station on
metro line M2 at Keleti railway station. A new feasibility study
was adopted in 2007 because Hungary proposed EU co-funding
for the construction of metro line M4. The European Commission
decided to co-fund the construction in the autumn of 2009. The
actual implementation of the metro line started finally in 2006
with the laying of the foundation stone and lasted until 2014. At
the time of the start of construction completion was planned in
2009.
In May 2006 the construction of the first station-box commenced.
Tunnel boring started in spring 2007 and lasted until summer
2010. The box-structures of all stations were completed by the
end of 2011. At the end of 2012, the prototype vehicle was
delivered and in September 2013 the last train-set arrived in
Budapest. In October 2013 the commissioning tests of the trains
(operation without passengers) began along the line. The
operation testing observed by the Hungarian National Transport
Authority lasted from January until March 2014. On 28 Mach
2014 the new line was inaugurated by Prime Minister Viktor
Orbán and Budapest Mayor István Tarlós.
The new metro service runs between Keleti railway station (Pest
side) and Kelenföld railway station (Buda side) on 6.7-kilometrelong
tracks in 13 minutes, crossing underneath the river Danube.
Similarly to the other metro lines, M4 will run every 2-3 minutes
during peak hours, while during the day every 5 minutes and in
late evenings every 10 minutes.
BKK Centre for Budapest Transport had reviewed the feedback
contribution of approximately 7,500 users, which arrived during
the public consultation process concerning the modification of
the surface transport network in connection with the launch of
the city’s new state-of-the-art driverless metro line. In addition to
future customers, the affected districts’ mayors and several civil
associations also expressed their views during the consultation
process.
Starting on
29 March 2014 in connection with the inauguration
of M4, the Municipality of Budapest and BKK implemented one
of the largest surface traffic network reorganisations of the past
decades, directly affecting hundreds of thousands of daily regular
travel patterns, 10 districts as well as the metropolitan area towns
of Budaörs and Törökbálint. In these areas, passengers experienced
a high level of schedule changes on 40 bus lines, five tram
lines and three trolleybus lines.
For more information contact: Mr Levente Nagy