Trains may speed up on an important section of the Budapest-Ujszász-Szolnok railway line

The Budapest–Újszász–Szolnok railway line is line number 120a of MÁV. The double-track, electrified railway line is not only important from a domestic perspective (among other things, as a suburban line in Budapest): it is also part of the international trunk network. It is continued by the Budapest–Békéscsaba–Lőkösháza line section, numbered 120, which continues beyond the border towards Arad. Its total length is 100 kilometres.

A conditional tender worth approximately HUF 81.72 billion has now been published in the EU Public Procurement Bulletin at this link for the design and construction of the track, structures and track-side facilities, as well as safety equipment, on the Nagykáta – Újszász section of the line, including the track, engineering structures, track-side facilities and safety equipment. The contractor is being sought by Építési és Közlekedési Minisztérium.

A total of 58 kilometres of track renewal is needed on the electrified main line, which is about 29 km long and has two continuous tracks. Once the development is completed, trains will be able to run at speeds of 120 km/h and axle loads of 225 kN on the entire section of line.

Twenty bridges, five pipe culverts

The winning bidder will be responsible not only for the provision of the safety equipment for the project, but also for the construction of the station and the road and utility works. The figures for the part of the project concerned are also given: the project may involve the rehabilitation of 20 bridges and 5 pipe crossings.

They can triple the speed

The investment is also important because the condition of the line has deteriorated significantly in recent years. On sections that had been left out of previous upgrades, such as the section between Nagykáta and Tápiószele, which is also part of the current major investment, the speed limit had to be reduced to 40-60 km/h, and the 120 km/h commitment in the tender is an important step forward.

The estimated duration of the works is 48 months.