The Gubacsi bridge, south of Budapest, is the only way to access two of the main rail terminals in Hungary, but only allows transit at 5km/h. The country’s Minister of Transport is now claiming that a new bridge will be built in 2029 as part of the recently launched Baross Gábor Railway Development Plan.
The new infrastructure will reportedly be built by HE-DO Építő Zrt, minister Dávid Vitézy told Hungarian media HVG, with an estimated total cost of HUF 31 billion (€85.5 million). Construction should start at the end of this year and last three years, according to Vitézy.
Replacing the Gubacsi bridge, first built in 1924, is a key step into increasing capacity to and from the Mahart Container Center and the METRANS Budapest terminal, both located on Csepel island. It is the only access for trains to the island and, since 2014, they can only run at 5 km/h due to critical conditions.
The procurement picke
Despite the minister’s comments on HE-DO Építő Zrt, there was no mention of a procurement process. This is somewhat controversial, since a tender was launched last year under the previous government. However, the cheapest offer submitted by a consortium was deemed invalid because it was considered too low.
Back then, A-Híd Építő Zrt. and Swietelsky Vasúttechnika Kft offered to build a new Gubacsi bridge for HUF 16 billion (€44.1 million). After seeing their offer rejected, the consortium took the ministry to court but lost. The reportedly newly chosen company, HE-DO Építő Zrt, offered somewhere around HUF 20 billion (€55.1 million).
The remaining 11 billion HUF (€30.3 million) estimated by the ministry also include acquisition of land, site preparation, official procedures, audits and tests.
The Baross Gábor rail plan
The Baross Gábor Railway Development Plan was launched last month and will see HUF 3.55 trillion (€9.76 billion) being invested in supporting the Hungarian rail sector. Other than key infrastructure upgrades, the scheme also includes the reinstatement of a funding mechanism for single wagonload and investments to renovate the country’s rolling stock fleet.