Debrecen4U
January 13, 2026
Minister of Construction and Transport Lázár Discussed Major Rail Upgrades and Station Renewal in Debrecen
Minister of Construction and Transport János Lázár spoke about railway developments in Debrecen and the renovation of the Main Station at the “Közlekedésinfó” briefing.
During the event, the minister presented the results achieved in 2025 and outlined the goals for 2026. He noted that at the end of last year, the ministry reached an agreement with the Municipality of Debrecen to introduce a unified fare‑integration system.
Under this agreement, from 24 December, the local transport operator DKV Zrt. accepts both the Hajdú‑Bihar County Pass and the National Pass on all of its services—local buses, trolleybuses, and trams—where any type of DKV monthly pass is valid. In return, MÁV Passenger Transport Zrt. also accepts DKV passes for interurban public transport within Debrecen—long‑distance buses and trains—where the county or national pass is valid.
The integrated fare system brings the most significant price change for students over 14 and pensioners under 65. With the discounted Hajdú‑Bihar County Pass, they can now use both MÁV Passenger Transport Zrt. and DKV Zrt. services for just HUF 945, instead of the previous HUF 5,500 price of the DKV monthly pass.
“There has never been a price reduction of this scale before,” János Lázár stressed.
According to the MÁV–Volán Group, since the launch of the fare‑integration system, more than 15,000 county passes have been sold in Hajdú‑Bihar County, while DKV has sold nearly 6,000 passes through the e‑ticket system and ticket offices.
The minister reported that in 2025, a record number of more than 1.1 billion journeys were made on Hungary’s railways and Volán bus services. In addition, the new Passenger Transport Act entered into force, improving access to district centres especially for residents of small settlements. He also announced that the new Highway Code (KRESZ) will be published on 20 January; its text is currently being reviewed by scholars at the univeristy ELTE, with the aim of making the new rules more comprehensible. The regulation may enter into force as early as September.
The minister highlighted that Hungarian car manufacturing is concentrated primarily in Eastern Hungary—in Kecskemét, Debrecen, and Szeged. He noted that these factories are expected to produce one million cars in the coming years, and the vehicles will be transported by rail. For this reason, strengthening the Miskolc–Budapest, Nyíregyháza–Budapest, Debrecen–Budapest, and Szeged–Budapest rail corridors, as well as ensuring an additional Danube crossing, is essential. He added that the loan received from the European Investment Bank will play a significant role in supporting these developments.
In response to a journalist’s question, he added that there will certainly be demand for cars manufactured in Hungary. As an example, he mentioned the BMW Group Plant Debrecen, where all the upcoming iX3 models have already been sold, and there is a months‑long order backlog for the cars produced here.
He also said that MÁV currently has 140,000 seats, and they expect that within ten years 200,000 will be needed. He announced that at the end of December he signed the contract for the purchase of 93 used Swiss multiple units, which will be put into service after refurbishment, providing a total seating capacity of 14,000.
He explained that these are 15–20‑year‑old Stadler‑built multiple units in excellent condition, which can be used for another 20 years after refurbishment. He added that these trains will primarily serve suburban transport around Debrecen, Nyíregyháza, and Miskolc.
He also spoke about plans to purchase 100 new multiple units from China, which could be manufactured within two to three years, and that new InterCity coaches will also be acquired. According to the minister’s earlier statements, some of these will also be allocated to the Debrecen–Budapest railway line.
Regarding the Main Railway Station (Nagyállomás) in Debrecen, Lázár explained that there is an ongoing debate within Fidesz about whether private capital should be involved in such renovations. In his view, however, the refurbishment of major stations—including Debrecen’s—cannot be carried out without external investment, as the required investment is enormous.
He believes that, following Polish examples, it would be worthwhile to renovate the stations in this way, expanding their commercial functions.
Source: dehir.hu | Photo: Facebook (Lázár János)
