Major disruptions hit Budapest’s public transport: Busy train station closes, replacement buses operating in Buda
Significant changes are coming to Budapest’s public transport in the coming weeks. From 25 August, Keleti Railway Station—one of the city’s busiest transit hubs—will close for four weeks. Additionally, reconstruction on several tram lines in Buda will require replacement buses on multiple routes from the end of July.
Budapest’s public transport changes
Keleti Railway Station, one of Budapest’s most important rail hubs, will neither receive nor dispatch any trains until 20 September, according to the latest announcement by MÁV. During the closure, all trains will be rerouted to other Budapest stations—including Kőbánya-felső, Zugló, Ferencváros, Kelenföld, and Nyugati railway station—all of which will experience increased traffic. To help ease congestion at Nyugati, S21 trains will primarily terminate at Kőbánya-Kispest.
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Primarily a technical renovation, the closure comes in response to previous safety concerns, according to MÁV CEO Zsolt Hegyi’s post on social media:
Last year, after two locomotives derailed, it became clear that the renovation of one of Hungary’s most important railway stations could no longer be delayed. One of my first decisions as CEO was launching the Keleti Programme. We administered ‘first aid’ last summer, prioritising safety above all else. But the heavy lifting starts now: from 25 August, the station will close for four weeks as we complete critical large-scale renovations to ensure its long-term smooth operation.
MÁV says replacement buses, transfers, and temporary timetable changes will assist passengers but warns that significant delays are still to be expected during the peak summer travel period.
Alternative stations:
Trains on the Győr Line: Budapest-Kelenföld
Miskolc InterCity trains and Tisza-Tó express: Nyugati Station
Hatvan IR and S80 trains: Kőbánya-felső
Pécs and Kaposvár InterCity trains: Budapest-Kelenföld
- Between Kőbánya-felső and Puskás Ferenc Stadion, buses will operate and provide connections to Volán, HÉV, and BKK services.
Modified timetables are expected to be available online from 10 August.
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Why now?
The announcement of Keleti Station’s full closure came as a surprise to many passengers and railway staff.
According to MÁV, the September date was strategically chosen. The number of long-distance travellers is much higher during the summer; rerouting them then would have caused significant disruption. Although traffic around the start of the school year remains substantial, MÁV believes temporary traffic management will be easier and more flexible to implement in September.
Buda tram lines also face disruptions
In addition to rail closures, major changes are coming to Buda’s tram system. Track renovations will begin at several locations, including the crossing near Szent János Hospital on Szilágyi Erzsébet Avenue and sections of Németvölgyi Road. As a result, several tram routes will be suspended and replaced by buses.
In a statement, BKK announced that from 26 July, tram track modernisation will continue in District XII, affecting services on the 56, 56A, 59, 59A, and 61 lines
Replacement buses will operate Route 59 between Széll Kálmán Square and Gazdagréti Square and Route 61 between Széll Kálmán Square and Hűvösvölgy. Routes 155 and 156 buses will also be diverted.
Track repairs will also lead to major traffic restrictions at the Szilágyi Erzsébet Avenue – Kútvölgyi Road – Városmajor Street intersection. Work will be carried out in two phases between 26 July and 31 August.
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