Seventy kilometres of the Mátészalka-Debrecen railway line to be upgraded – planning can begin

The renovation and electrification of the Debrecen-Mátészalka railway line will begin with the planning phase, said the Ministerial Commissioner for Transport Development in North-East Hungary at a press conference held at the Nyírbátor railway station on Friday.

László Tasó emphasised that,

The development affects approximately seventy kilometres of railway track from Debrecen-Apafa to the town of Szatmár.

During this process, the axle load of the tracks will be increased to 22.5 tonnes, the entire section will be electrified, station buildings and platforms will be renovated, car parks will be built, a passenger information system will be installed, and a central control system and safety equipment will be installed along the entire line.

The investment will be implemented under the Integrated Transport Development Operational Programme (IKOP), and the planning process is currently underway, the ministerial commissioner explained, adding that the designer is expected to be selected in the first quarter of 2026 to prepare the implementation plans. László Tasó said that a gross amount of HUF 8 billion will be spent on the planning phase.

Our newspaper has reported on several projects of this kind over the years, within the EU development framework IKOP and the Széchenyi Programme.

They would speed up traffic

Miklós Simon, Member of Parliament for the region, explained at the briefing that,

With this development, they aim to achieve speeds of 100-120 kilometres per hour on railway line 110, and in addition to electrification, they will build appropriate service infrastructure for passengers.

The investment will also serve the industrial development of the region, and passengers will be able to reach Debrecen, Mátészalka and Nyírbátor in less time, the representative emphasised.