Mainline maintenance in Pécs could be completed before the festival season begins

Maintenance work on the Budapest–Pécs main line between Rétszilas and Dombóvár has entered its second phase. According to information from MÁV announcement states that during the latest phase of works, which began on 11 June, replacement buses will continue to transport passengers between Sárbogárd and Dombóvár instead of the InterCityk services to Pécs and Kaposvár.

The changes also affect the S40 passenger trains: from 11 June, replacement buses will only run between Simontornya and Dombóvár. However, on the Dunaújváros–Simontornya line, S431 trains are once again running along the entire route, meaning that the replacement bus service on this line has been discontinued.

The railway company has scheduled the one-month works, which will involve track closures, so that they are completed within the first few days of the summer holidays.

Maintenance work is scheduled to be completed on 23 June, so festival-goers will once again be able to travel the entire route by train to the Fishing on Orfű festival.

The operations are taking place at seven locations

As part of this self-financed investment project, worth 1.15 billion forints, the MÁV will carry out works on seven different sections to remove the speed restrictions that are currently causing delays of several minutes.

As a result of the works, traffic on the Budapest–Pécs main line is likely to become more predictable, as the condition of the track will improve and transport safety will increase.

A modern level crossing in Sáregres

One of the most important elements of the first phase of the maintenance work was the reconstruction of the railway crossing on Széchenyi Street in Sáregres.

The crossing has been fitted with the so-called Ponti-STRAIL rubber element system. This is a paving solution consisting of prefabricated rubber panels that cover the surfaces between and alongside the rails. The advantage of the system is that road vehicles can cross the railway tracks much more smoothly and with less vibration compared to traditional concrete or asphalt-surfaced level crossings.

Over a stretch of approximately 100 metres around the level crossing, the substructure has been repaired, the ballast and rails replaced, and the drainage ditches cleared. A temporary diversion will be put in place for the duration of the works to ensure that road traffic can pass through the level crossing with as little disruption as possible.

Rails, concrete sleepers and ballast were also replaced

Over the past few weeks, significant track maintenance work has been carried out between Rétszilas and Simontornya . Experts have replaced ballast, rails and reinforced concrete sleepers at several locations, repaired the track substructure and carried out track realignment over a distance of more than 100 metres.

An unexpected incident also hampered the construction work. On 1 June, an explosive device was found at the Simontornya site. Bomb disposal experts removed the bomb and then searched the surrounding area, which meant work had to be suspended for nearly a day.