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The capital of Hungary is the result of the unification in 1873 of 3 cities: Buda and Óbuda on the western side of the Danube and Pest on the eastern side. Today, Budapest has approximately 2 million inhabitants.

With the opening of line M4 in 2014, Budapest now has a 4-line metro system, with the original three lines intersecting in the city centre at Deák Ferenc tér.

Line M1 (5 km) was opened in 1896 between Vörösmarty tér in the centre and Széchenyi fürdő as the first electric underground (Földalatti) line on the European mainland. Almost 80 years later, in 1973, the line was extended to Mexikói út. This line is different from the other two in dimensions, directly under the street, and only 6 m wide and 2.75 m high. Therefore special trains had to be built and a fixed catenary had be installed. For the 100th Anniversary all stations were restored and once again exhibit their historic splendor.

02-05-1896 Vörösmarty tér (formerly Gizella tér) - Széchenyi fürdő (formerly aboveground and named Artézi fürdő)
30-12-1973 section Hősök tere - Széchenyi fürdo put underground and extended to Mexikói Út
1995-1996 complete renovation of the line

More about line M1

Line M2 (10 km) is an east-west line connecting both major railway stations, Déli (South station) and Keleti (East station). It runs on the surface between Pillangó utca and the eastern terminus Örs vezér tere. Although construction had started already in the 1950s, this line was only opened between 1970 (Deák Ferenc tér - Örs vezér tere) and 1972 (Deák Ferenc tér - Déli pu.). Between 2004 and 2007, M2 underwent total refurbishing. Since it is the busiest line in the city, stations were only closed during summer months while major work was carried out. The route was upgraded with a modern signalling system that allow one-man operation.

02-04-1970 Deák Ferenc tér - Örs vezér tere
22-12-1972 Deák Ferenc tér - Déli pályaudvar

More about line M2

Line M3 (17.3 km) is a north-south connection on the Pest side of the city. Apart from the southern terminus Köbánya-Kispest, all stations are underground. The first part (Deák tér - Nagyvárad tér) opened in 1976, in various stages it was extended in both directions. In 1990 it reached Újpest Központ (with a station design that pays tribute to 1970's stations in Munich or Berlin).

31-12-1976 Deák Ferenc tér - Nagyvárad tér
20-04-1980 Nagyvárad tér - Kobánya-Kispest
30-12-1981 Deák Ferenc tér - Lehel tér
07-11-1984: Lehel tér - Árpád híd (now Göncz Árpád városközpont)
14-12-1990: Árpád híd (now Göncz Árpád városközpont) - Újpest-Központ

More about line M3

Since Nov 2017, M3 has been undergoing upgrading, so some section may be temporarily closed - for more details click here!

Line M4 (7.4 km) runs totally underground between Keleti and Kelenföldi railway stations crossing M3 at Kálvin ter, then under the Danube river to Szt. Gellért ter and south-west through Buda. After long delays, the first section (Kelenföldi/Etele tér - Keleti pályaudvar) eventually was brought into service in spring 2014. Line M4 is prepared for driverless operation, although initially drivers will remain in a temporary driver's cab. The track area is surveilled by a infrared system, as no platform screen doors have been installed.

28 March 2014: Kelenföld vasútállomás - Keleti pályaudvar

View many station photos and learn more about line M4 here.

 Projects

M4 - in a second stage this line was supposed to be extended northeast from Keleti pályaudvar to Bosnyák tér, although a new tram line is now planned to be build along this corridor instead. View map!

Line M5 is planned to link the northern and the southern suburban (HÉV) lines. The line will be underground from Kaszásdűlő to Könyves Kálmán körút (Lágymányosi bridge), via Boráros tér. Other parts will include existing suburban routes {Kaszásdűlő - Szentendre, Könyves K. körút - Csepel, K. K. körút - Ráckeve}.The first segment of this route may be constructed by 2012, between Lágymánosi híd / Közvágóhíd - Boráros tér - Kálvin tér, linking the existing HÉV-lines to metro lines M3 and M4.

Line M2 may be united with Gödöllő suburban line, which is an old project. The Urban and Suburban Transit Association (VEKE) elaborated a very detailed plan for it.

In the long term, M3 might be extended northwards from Újpest-Központ to Káposztásmegyer, with 3-5 stations. A southern extension to the Ferihegy Airport has been proposed.

M1 may be extended to Rákosrendező rail station.

See a map illustrating all current projects (by Ádám Kovács).

 Book

Robert Schwandl:

TRAM ATLAS MITTELEUROPA | CENTRAL EUROPE

Tschechien, Slowakei & Ungarn | Czech Republic, Slovakia & Hungary

160 pages; detailed network maps; ca. 300 colour photos
Text deutsch & English
ISBN 978 3 936573 48 0
03/2017

Unlike in Western Europe, many first-generation tramways have survived in the eastern part of Central Europe. This book covers every tram system in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary (for Poland a separate volume was published in 2017!) as well as the two metro systems in Prague and Budapest and the numerous trolleybus systems. As always, the book is illustrated with detailed network maps, and hundreds of colour photographs of almost all the current rolling stock and many of the metro stations.