{"id":498854,"date":"2026-08-05T19:41:45","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T09:41:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=73274"},"modified":"2026-08-05T19:41:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T09:41:45","slug":"key-rail-freight-bridge-in-budapest-to-be-replaced-by-2029-says-ministry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=498854","title":{"rendered":"Key rail freight bridge in Budapest to be replaced by 2029, says ministry"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u2019s Minister of Transport is now claiming that a new bridge will be built in 2029 as part of the recently launched Baross G\u00e1bor Railway Development Plan.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>The new infrastructure will reportedly be built by HE-DO \u00c9p\u00edt\u0151 Zrt, minister D\u00e1vid Vit\u00e9zy told Hungarian media HVG, with an estimated total cost of HUF 31 billion (\u20ac85.5 million). Construction should start at the end of this year and last three years, according to Vit\u00e9zy.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The procurement picke<\/h2>\n

Despite the minister\u2019s comments on HE-DO \u00c9p\u00edt\u0151 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.<\/p>\n

Back then, A-H\u00edd \u00c9p\u00edt\u0151 Zrt. and Swietelsky Vas\u00fattechnika Kft offered to build a new Gubacsi bridge for HUF 16 billion (\u20ac44.1 million). After seeing their offer rejected, the consortium took the ministry to court but lost. The reportedly newly chosen company, HE-DO \u00c9p\u00edt\u0151 Zrt, offered somewhere around HUF 20 billion (\u20ac55.1 million).<\/p>\n

The remaining 11 billion HUF (\u20ac30.3 million) estimated by the ministry also include acquisition of land, site preparation, official procedures, audits and tests.<\/p>\n

The Baross G\u00e1bor rail plan<\/h2>\n

The Baross G\u00e1bor Railway Development Plan was launched last month and will see HUF 3.55 trillion (\u20ac9.76 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.<\/p>\n