Local services
The Ministry of Construction and Transport working group held another meeting in Debrecen.
The working group, composed of members of the Debrecen City Council and the Ministry of Construction and Transport, reviewed government development plans for Debrecen. Mayor László Papp and Minister of Construction and Transport János Lázár presented the results of the working group meeting at a press conference on the 15th of October 2024.
Mayor László Papp said in advance that today’s working group meeting reviewed the events of the period since January 2024. They looked at which investments are at what stage and whether they can keep up the pace and tight pace of Debrecen’s development. It can be seen that both the government and the Ministry of Construction and Transport are paying particular attention to the city’s development process.
Regarding industrial zone development, the Mayor said that the Northwest Economic Zone is almost ready for the developments expected by investors, as the process is in its final phase in terms of transport infrastructure and other utilities. For example, he said that the BMW industrial estate is in such a state that there are no obstacles to the company starting series production. The 100-hectare supplier park is still under development but is progressing at a good pace, and the suppliers there are building their production capacity in parallel.
Regarding the development of the Southern Economic Zone, László Papp said that investments in the battery industry sector there require significant additional infrastructure development, mainly water and utilities. The necessary funds are available in this respect, but to ensure the smooth completion of the programme, the development funds for 2025 and 2026 must also be secured to ensure that the factories can start operating on time.
László Papp underlined: “The development of the grey water network is an essential item. The planning process for this will be completed in November, and in the third government decision, we will ask the government to provide the necessary funds to enable the grey water investments to be carried out. We have promised the citizens of Debrecen that these large industrial plants will use a significant proportion of treated wastewater to protect the local aquifer, and we intend to keep our promise.”
Turning to the range of improvements that will help and support the quality of life in the city, the Mayor stressed that very significant progress has also been made. The city’s transport system is one of the biggest challenges in the coming years, as the city’s dynamic growth means that the city’s transport system network can become overloaded and, at some point, even to the detriment of the quality of life in the city.
Four of the five significant intersection developments are practically at the finishing line. He added that the intersection of Csigekert Street – Füredi Road – Szabó Lőrinc Street, the junction of Domokos Márton Road and the 354 main road, the intersection of Vámospércsi Road – Hétvezér Street – Antal Buda Nagy Street, and the construction of the junction of Szoboszló Road – Külsővásártér are in the contracting phase.
The government’s decision to allow these projects to get underway could be made in November of this year. In December, they will be able to hand over the worksites for these improvements, and in spring 2025, the actual works will be underway. Only the Rakovszky Road – Ótemető Street junction needs to be restarted, as costs have not allowed this development to start this year. However, it was agreed that this intersection should also be launched in 2025.
The mayor also reported on developments in the planning and preparation phase.
Several significant developments have recently started to be prepared, which are still necessary for the quality of life in the city. He stressed that planning the Józsa north relief road and the extension of the Debrecen-Józsa section of the main road No 35 to 2×2 lanes is underway. In terms of suburban railway development, the electrification of the railway section between Debrecen and Balmazújváros is expected to be completed in 2026. The 2×2 lane upgrading of the main road 47 is also in the planning phase.
László Papp added that the meeting touched on the development of the city’s education system. Four major projects will be launched, involving three secondary schools – Brassai, Beregszászi and Mechwart technical colleges. In the case of Mechwart, two projects can be reported: the procurement process for the dormitory development can start in November and enter the construction phase in 2025. In addition, the development and design of the Mechwart building could be completed in the first half of next year, after which the project’s construction could start.
László Papp said that the government adopted the Debrecen 2030 urban strategy in 2020.
“Much of it has been implemented in recent years despite all the difficulties. Today’s meeting also confirmed that the next years will be marked by the implementation of the next phase of the Debrecen 2030 programme and its further projects. To this end, a cooperation agreement is being prepared with the Ministry, which is expected to be signed in the coming weeks.
The main railway station project has already been approached several times, as rail transport is a form of transport of particular importance for Debrecen; given that road transport cannot be increased indefinitely, a vital emphasis must be placed on improving the possibilities of public transport in Debrecen. This includes the development of the central railway station, which is on the government’s agenda in a new solution construction and will be a significant symbol of Debrecen’s change of scale”, László Papp concluded.
Minister János Lázár thanked the Debrecen voters for the opportunity to cooperate and for the support Fidesz, Viktor Orbán, and the government of Hungary received from them. In the coming weeks, on behalf of the Prime Minister, they will visit the cities where priority investments and developments will be made by 2026. He stressed that the Hungarian government sees Debrecen as a fellow capital, so it is not only a promise in the election campaign but also a reality that Debrecen will be rebuilt together with its citizens.
The minister stressed that today’s meeting aimed to discuss how to rebuild and reorganise Debrecen, which, with the establishment of a 1,300-hectare industrial park and the industrialisation of Debrecen, will become one of Europe’s 30 largest industrial centres.
The minister said that, so far, the City of Debrecen and its citizens have received HUF 500 billion in aid for the reconstruction and industrialisation of the city. They completed the task of establishing BMW in Hungary, and just like Győr became the city of Audi, Kecskemét became the city of Mercedes, and Debrecen became the city of BMW. As BMW is predicted by automotive experts to have a great future, even in the face of competition from the European, American and Chinese car industries, further investment will be needed.
He added that the government would have to decide whether to continue with the investments this year. In his opinion, after the HUF 500 billion worth of decisions taken so far, another HUF 250-250 billion worth of decisions will have to be taken in this cycle until 2026 to boost industrial development here. The goal is to make Debrecen one of Europe’s industrial strongholds and make it an actual co-capital city. In a few years, Debrecen could be a city in Hungary like Hamburg or Munich in Germany, as or more prosperous than the capital.
Afterwards, János Lázár said that they would also like to implement positive developments for Debrecen’s citizens. Industrial development on such a scale will affect the city’s daily life, education system, transport, and liveability, which is why the transport issue was discussed at today’s meeting.
On the details, he explained that, on the one hand, about the implementation of the bypass to relieve congestion in the east of the city, it is a realistic objective to have plans in place by 2026 and to have the eastern bypass in place by 2029.
On the other hand, the government has made a critical decision regarding Highway 471. According to this decision, the government will rebuild the railway line between Nyíregyháza and Debrecen with the 471 quadruple-tracking. This will be a HUF 320 billion investment, including the complete reconstruction of 50 kilometres of railway line, strengthening the rail link between the two cities. The railway junction of the main road 471 through the city centre will be realised by constructing a multi-level overpass.
János Lázár said that the public procurement will be published in January 2025, and work can start in 2025. They have all the necessary design and planning permits and resources, as it is a programme approved by the European Commission. Regarding the modernisation of the central railway station, the Minister stressed that the previous plan could not be implemented due to lack of funds. Still, they have another proposal, namely to rebuild the Debrecen railway station with the involvement of private capital.
“The Ministry of Construction and Transport will include ten stations in Hungary with high traffic volume in this programme. The idea of the programme is to separate the railway operation from the commercial function and to make the commercial function available to private capital. The Debrecen railway station should be imagined as a simplified shopping centre, part of which will be a rail arrival point, and the rest will be shops and commercial service units. For this, they are looking for private capital from Debrecen and Turkey,” he said, adding that this option would be put out for tender.
Regarding the motorway development, he pointed out that the construction of the M4 motorway from Törökszentmiklós to Kisújszállás is currently underway. The project will cost HUF 150 billion and will be completed by the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026. The aim is to complete the 4×4 lane and motorway construction from Kisújszállás, Karcag to Berettyóújfalu. The M35 motorway will be connected to the M4 motorway, creating a significant transport hub. The minister explained that the government has also decided that this programme should be completed around 2030.
As regards the upgrading of Highway 47 between Békéscsaba and Debrecen into a motorway, he said that the four-lane motorway between Békéscsaba and Szeghalom could be opened in this municipal term.
In addition to the railway, the expansion of main road No. 4 between Nyíregyháza and Debrecen to 2×2 lanes was also discussed. This would create a direct four-lane connection on the road next to the motorway, for which the transport and planning contracts have already been issued.
János Lázár also mentioned that two essential projects were discussed regarding Debrecen as a co-capital city: the relocation of the Natural History Museum and the construction of the Transport Museum. The Hungarian Natural History Museum is currently in the process of a design competition, which will end shortly. János Lázár expressed his support for relocating the Natural History Museum to Debrecen.
However, the fate of the Transport Museum is a matter for the Minister to decide personally. Today, the results of a competition for ideas for a six-hectare site between the BMW factory and the motorway will be announced. Detailed design or construction of this project could start by 2026-27.
Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu
