Plans for high-speed rail link and new cargo terminal for Budapest Airport announced

At a press conference held on Tuesday, Minister of National Economy Márton Nagy announced that last week, the Hungarian government had decided to build a new high-speed rail link between Liszt Ferenc International Airport and Nyugati railway station, as well as a new cargo terminal. Both investments will be realized in the form of concessions, the former worth EUR 1 billion and the latter EUR 0.4-1 billion, Ministe rNagy announced on Tuesday, according to MTI.

During the press conference, it was mentioned that Budapest Airport served 17.6 million passengers last year, which exceeded the previous record set before the COVID-19 pandemic. Traffic has grown by an average of 14 percent in recent years and is expected to continue growing based on data from the first four months of this year. By 2030, passenger traffic could exceed 20 million, and by 2040, 35 million. With such high passenger traffic, it is necessary to establish a direct connection to the city, Nagy said.

According to the plans, new tracks would only be built between Kőbánya and the airport, thus establishing a connection between the airport and the national rail infrastructure. According to Portfolio's report, at the press conference, Márton Nagy emphasized that, contrary to previous plans, the new line would not run parallel to the existing railway network, but would be integrated into it.

The minister also said that they were still assessing where the railway station would be located within the airport, but said it was likely to be underground. He said this would be a logical decision, if only from a space-saving perspective.

The minister said that preparations for the investment have begun based on a detailed government decision, and concession tenders could be announced within six months. The project will not be financed from the budget; the concession-holder will have to secure the necessary funds. According to Márton Nagy, the preparations for the project could take a year to a year and a half, after which construction can begin.

Márton Nagy explained that the new cargo terminal is necessary because Budapest Airport is slowly approaching its maximum annual capacity of 400,000-450,000 tons, and with the growth in passenger traffic, there will no longer be any free slots available for air cargo.

According to the minister, cargo traffic at Budapest Airport has grown by an average of 12.4 percent per year over the past 11 years, surpassing the levels of Vienna and Munich. The driving force behind this expansion is pharmaceutical logistics and customs clearance, according to Márton Nagy, as reported by Portfolio.

No decision has yet been made on the location of the cargo terminal. There are several options being considered, and the final choice will be made based on 6-7 criteria set by the government. According to Márton Nagy, no decision has yet been made on which investor to involve in either project, but it would be logical to choose a Chinese business partner, as most of the cargo trade happens with China.