Historic railway line relaunch could be on the agenda

The Építési és Közlekedési Minisztérium has announced a conditional public procurement procedure for the design tasks of the Debrecen–Berettyóújfalu railway line. According to the announcement published in the EU public procurement notice, the successful tenderer's tasks will include

<Design of a new high-speed line on the Debrecen Nagystation - Berettyóújfalu section with a length of about 38.62 track km, and the reconstruction of the railway line No. 106 and the laying of a new track on the Debrecen Nagystation - Sáránd (kiz.) section with a length of 11.36 track km, parallel to the high-speed line.

The line will run from Debrecen railway station (the starting point of the interchange) to the north-western corner of the Debrecen Airport area, parallel to the existing railway line No. 106, and from there on a completely new track - taking into account the plan to extend the airport runway - to Berettyóújfalu station, the notice reads.

A new container terminal and several separate level crossings would be built

Main tasks:

• design of a new 4-5 train reception and launching track container terminal;
• a separate level crossing at the junction of the railway and the M35 and 43;
• designing the section from Debrecen station to the airport to 80 km/h, the following few kilometres to 120 km/h, and the rest of the line to Berettyóújfalu to 160 km/h;
• the successful tenderer will have to investigate the possibility of connecting the existing railway line No 106 with the planned railway line No 104 in the Derecske area by means of a level link;
• it is also necessary to study and develop up to design level the in situ upgrading of the remaining track of the existing railway line No 106 on the section referred to in the notice;
• the successful tenderer will also be responsible for the preparation of the feasibility studies, the licensing, design and tender documents, the technical documentation and the licensing procedures for all the necessary sections.

Rail link cut at the Trianon border could be revived

The Debrecen - Nagykerek railway line No. MÁV 106 was once built to Oradea, but the end of the line was annexed by the Treaty of Trianon. At the time of the Second Vienna War, when Oradea was reannexed to Hungary, traffic was briefly restored, but after World War II the tracks were cut on both sides of the border. The demolished section has not been rebuilt to this day.

With the construction and future extension of the Debrecen–Berettyóújfalu railway line, the connection between the civic city and Nagyvárad can be realised once again. As previously reported, the Oradea transport company may soon announce a public tender for tram trains, bringing the tram connection between the two cities within reach.

Deadline for receipt of applications: 1 July 2025.