Following the signing, Vitézy said: “This is a significant milestone, even if we know well [that there are] many years of work ahead of us before this can happen.” He compared the proposed project with a similar one in Vienna which had taken 25 years to come to fruition.
The proposed tunnel will connect Kelenföld and Nyugati and will relieve Budapest’s acute car traffic problem. According to Vitézy, cars are responsible for two-thirds of the CO2 emissions coming from transport in Budapest and the surrounding area.
The feasibility study forms part of a wider, detailed study by BDC on the improvements needed to the entire rail network of Budapest and the surrounding areas. The tunnel will form part of an overall plan that will facilitate journeys from the suburbs and hinterland to the city centre.
