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THE Hungarian government finalised the 2016 budget on May 23 for the Integrated Programme for Transport (IKOP), which is 85% financed by the EU, and allocates a total of Forints 1216bn ($US 4.3bn) to transport projects including Forints 790bn for mainline and urban rail projects.
Rail projects to receive funding, which are classified as high-priority projects, include electrification and upgrading of the Szombathely - Nagykanizsa line (the first phase of which is already underway), together with modernisation of the Vámosgyörk - Mezőnyárád section of the Budapest -Miskolc line, the Szántód - Balatonszentgyörgy section of the Budapest - Nagykanizsa line, the Püspökladány - Apafa section of the Budapest - Debrecen - Záhony line, and the Debrecen - Mátészalka line.
Electrification projects include:
Püspökladány - Biharkeresztes
Szeged - Hódmezővásárhely - Gyula
Mezőzomor - Sátoraljaújhely, and
Szabadbattyán - Aszófő (Budapest - Tapolca line).
Modernisation of the Budapest - Esztergom line will continue with electrification of the entire route and reconstruction the section between Rákosrendező and Angyalföld, partially on a new alignment, with track-doubling planned for the Angyalföld - Újpest stretch.
The rollout of ETCS Level 2 will continue with the extension of the system to the Bajánsenye - Boba, Ferencváros - Lőkösháza, Ferencváros - Székesfehérvár, Sopron - Szombathely - Szentgotthárd and Szajol - Debrecen - Apafa lines.
Other IKOP projects include rebuilding Székesfehérvár and Szombathely stations and several stations along the shores of Lake Balaton.
National passenger operator MÁV-Start will receive a further 15 EMUs, each with capacity for 200 passengers, while a tender will be launched for 30 new EMUs with a capacity of 300-600 passengers, which could be double-deck trains. Györ-Sopron-Ebenfurth Railway (GySEV) will also receive funding for 10 new EMUs through the programme.
Among the urban rail projects set to benefit from IKOP, the Szeged - Hódmezővásárhely tram-train project is regarded as high-priority, with funding allocated for infrastructure and vehicles. In Budapest, tram Line 1 will be extended from both termini, metro Line 3 will be upgraded and a further 22 CAF trams will be ordered.
Intermodal public transport centres will be developed at stations in Debrecen, Nyíregyháza, Kaposvár, Miskolc, Székesfehérvár and Tatabánya.
The government has also decided that special rules will be introduced to manage any cost overruns on these projects.
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