The Hungarian government has approved the launch of the Baross Gábor Railway Development Plan, one of the largest railway investment programs in the country’s history.
The announcement was made by Dávid Vitézy on social media at the same time as a press conference, which he and Prime Minister Péter Magyar traveled to together by train. According to the Minister of Transport and Investments, Hungary’s rail transport system will be modernized with an investment of HUF 3.5 trillion over the next ten years.
“The goal is clear: to eliminate the Hungarian railway’s decades-long backlog, modernize infrastructure, acquire new rolling stock, and provide passengers with more reliable, faster, and more comfortable public transport,” Vitézy wrote in his post, which also featured a live broadcast of the press conference.
Presenting the plan at Budapest’s Rákospalota–Újpest railway station on Wednesday, Vitézy said the Baross Gábor Railway Development Plan marks the beginning of addressing decades of underinvestment in Hungary’s railway network. He described it as a clear program serving the interests of the Hungarian people, with HUF 3.55 trillion expected to be available for implementation by 2035, based on the current work plan.
According to the plan presented, the funding will come from several sources:
- HUF 1.1 trillion from EU cohesion funds,
- HUF 700 billion from the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF),
- HUF 400 billion through a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB),
- HUF 400 billion in investments through concession arrangements,
- and HUF 950 billion in commitments for projects under the EU’s 2028–2034 programming period.
