Plans are in place to stabilise the embankment along a critical section of the Lake Balaton railway line

The MÁV Track Operation Zrt. conditional public procurement procedure launched to plan the necessary works on the Csajág–Balatonkenese section of the Börgönd–Szabadbattyán–Tapolca railway line (No. 29). The project concerns the section of track between km 343 and km 350; tenders are invited until 30 March 2026.

Focus on slopes, retaining walls and drainage

The design task focuses on stabilising the embankments along the railway line. The primary objective is to reinforce the sections not covered by geocell protection, as well as to assess the condition of the entire right-hand embankment and determine the necessary measures.

The project involves identifying the causes of damage to the gabion retaining wall and ensuring its long-term stability, as well as restoring the scour and the eroded slope at section 345+51. In addition, the safe drainage of rainwater all the way to the receiving watercourse must be ensured, and any deficiencies in the surface and subsurface drainage systems must be identified and rectified.

As part of the preliminary design, the condition of a retaining wall 3.5–4 metres high is also being assessed, whilst another task involves reducing the risk of landslides on the embankment running alongside the railway, which is up to 20 metres high in places. To this end, detailed geotechnical and hydraulic engineering plans are being drawn up, alongside investigations into the deterioration processes and soil mechanics tests.

The water could be channelled to Lake Balaton

Designers must determine the size of the entire catchment area, the drainage conditions and the volume of water to be drained. They must also examine the route along which the drainage can be implemented all the way to Lake Balaton.

The public procurement contract also includes optional tasks. These include the design of railway track reconstruction should drainage issues make this necessary. In connection with this, the design of telecommunications, power supply and safety equipment (TEB) is also included as a separate option.

An additional optional item is the procurement of any necessary permits and approvals, should these be required for the implementation of these optional works.

A problem that has persisted for over a century on the shores of Lake Balaton

According to a summary in the trade journal Sínek Világa, the Szabadbattyán–Tapolca railway line was opened to traffic in July 1909 as a transport route along the northern shore of Lake Balaton. The soils forming the eastern shore of Lake Balaton are largely characterised by loess. This has caused serious maintenance problems on both the southern and northern railway lines on several occasions.