The South Balaton mega-project continues: modernised station and renewed railway station for passengers

IKOP-2.1.0-15-2017-00037

The Építési és Közlekedési Minisztérium (ÉKM) continued the huge project of modernising the South Balaton railway line, which began in 2010: work on the development of Balatonfenyves railway station and Balatonszéplak upper station has been completed. The aim of the renovation of the station buildings was to further increase travel comfort and expand the number of people who choose to travel by train instead of by car to reach their destination.

A major improvement has helped speed up trains

The 86-kilometre-long railway line along the southern shore of Lake Balaton has undergone a major overhaul in several phases over the past decade and a half. During the summer period, the second busiest line in the country was upgraded, including the removal of the so-called slow signals: after the renovation, trains can now travel at speeds of 100 km/h in most sections and 120 km/h in the sections not built. Safe loading and unloading is now facilitated by elevated platforms, rain shelters and the reconstruction of road level crossings.

The modernisation took place in several stages: in the first stage, a second track was built on the sections between Lepsény and Szántód-Köröshegy. In the next development period between 2016 and 2018 development period between 2016 and 2018, a new second track was built between Balatonszemes and Balatonlelle felső, covering a distance of 1.6 kilometres, and the Kaposvár–Fonyód railway line was also renovated.

A unified image for the renewed stations

The complex series of investments is now continuing with the modernisation of railway stations and stops in the southern Balaton region. One of the modernised stops that has already been handed over is Balatonszéplak felső, whose free beach is a popular destination for families. On the South Balaton railway line, the first stop after Siófok from the direction of the capital is UNITEF–CÉH Consortium, based on the plans of Mega-Logistic Zrt..

The project involved the demolition of an obsolete waiting room built in 1958, and the construction of a 221 square metre reception building with modern technology, cost-effective operation and barrier-free access.

The building's surroundings have also been tidied up and the car park extended

The contractor also adapted and extended the utilities needed to serve the building. His tasks included the laying of more than 200 metres of telecommunications cables and the installation of telecommunications and security equipment.

The stop will be equipped with a modern passenger information system. As part of the project, the car park was renovated and new parking spaces were added. Almost 1,000 square metres of pavements and green areas were also renewed as part of the forecourt works. The total cost of the project is nearly 600 million forints.

The new high platform provides safe and unobstructed access to and from the airport

The station building in Balatonfenyves, built in 1971, has also been completely renovated by UNITEF–CÉH Consortium. During the works, the experts of Homlok Építőipari Kft., the contractor, made not only the building but also the platform accessible.

Conditions have been set up for passengers to park their vehicles in the extended car parks and bicycle lockers in the area to continue their journey by train. Accessibility to the station will also be facilitated by a renovated pedestrian overpass.

The contractor also built the 360-metre-long high platform, and converted and built the infrastructure needed to operate the 177-square-metre building, which has been completely renovated.

Advanced cooling and heating technology makes your travel experience more comfortable

Thanks to the works, travellers will have access to a new waiting room, a modern toilet block and a ticket dispenser. The building has been modernised with state-of-the-art building services, a heat pump cooling system and LED lighting. Cost-efficient operation is supported by the installation of a solar system.

The contractor also had to lay almost 800 metres of telecommunications network cables, together with the associated telecommunications and security equipment. The work also included the cleaning up of the station's surrounding area of around 1,650 square metres. EU funding of around HUF 1.4 billion was used to complete the entire project.

Passengers can already use the renovated and new buildings

According to our newspaper, in both projects the procedures for obtaining the occupancy permits for the buildings have been completed. In Balatonfenyves, the modernised station building and the new Balatonszéplak upper station building are now available to the public.