Hungarian transport minister: Traffic on Budapest - Belgrade high speed railway should be launched in December

Serbian high speed Soko train; Photo: Mateja Beljan

Hungarian Transport Minister David Vitezy has stated that that the ETCS automatic train control system was successfully tested on the new railway line running from Budapest to the Kelebija border crossing with Serbia, and that passenger traffic between Budapest and Belgrade should be launched in December.

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"The Hungarian section of the Budapest - Belgrade railway line is technically nearing completion. Following the full-load test carried out over the weekend, testing of the ETCS train control system, which is crucial for the safe operation of passenger services, has also been successfully completed," Vitezy wrote on Facebook.

Based on the results of the tests, we expect to receive the necessary official documentation by mid-October, he added.

"If everything goes according to plan, domestic passenger services could begin in the second half of October as a first step. In the meantime, the contractor still has to carry out the final track alignment work required under the warranty provisions of the contract. This is a process expected to take nearly two months: the station tracks and turnouts, as well as the open-line track, will all be realigned to ensure that the railway remains suitable for operation at speeds of 160 kilometers per hour over the long term," Vitezy wrote.

He explained that this is a standard, planned final phase of work before a new railway line is handed over.

"It is necessary before the line is put into service because the ballast continues to settle and compact during construction and load testing, meaning that the position of the rails and turnouts must be precisely adjusted once again. At speeds of 160 km/h, it is particularly important that the track geometry remains consistently within the specified design parameters. We have scheduled the work so that track alignment on the suburban section between Ferencvaros and KunszentmiklosTass will be completed by the end of October," Vitezy stated.

This means that, once domestic passenger services have started, the remaining work can be carried out with significantly fewer restrictions, the minister added.

"If domestic passenger services also operate smoothly during the first few weeks, the next step can follow in December: making full use of the 160 km/h operating speed and launching international passenger services between Budapest and Belgrade," Vitezy wrote.

A great deal of testing, repair and inspection has been completed, he said.

"And there is still work ahead of us. Passengers will only be allowed to use the line once all the necessary safety requirements have been met. We will not compromise on this," the minister concluded.

(Telegraf Biznis/Tanjug)