Debrecen4U
July 8, 2026
Tram Track Refurbishment Works Near Completion in Debrecen
The second phase of the tram track refurbishment on the Péterfia Street section of Tram Line 1 began on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the reconstruction work in Kossuth Square is approaching completion, with only minor finishing adjustments remaining over the coming days.
Work is currently under way on Péterfia Street, where contractors are removing the old concrete structure. The refurbishment includes a complete replacement of the tracks, along with new track panels and fastening components. “The track structure for Tram Line 1 was originally designed for older trams weighing around 22 tonnes, whereas the CAF trams in service today weigh approximately 40 tonnes even before passengers board. When fully loaded, they place an even greater strain on the infrastructure. As a result, the track is now subjected to almost three times the load it was designed to carry 30 years ago,” explained Péter Kerekes, Technical and Operations Director at DKV.
At the same time, work is continuing steadily on Kossuth Square, where the project has now reached the concrete pouring stage. Since the opening of Tram Line 2 in 2014, this section of track has carried traffic from both tram lines, resulting in significantly greater wear on the rails.
During the refurbishment, Tram Line 2 is operating between Kálvin Square and Doberdó Street, while replacement buses are serving passengers on Tram Line 1. “Replacement buses have a lower passenger capacity than trams, so they operate every six minutes during the morning and afternoon peak periods, between 6:00 am and 5:30 pm. At other times, they run every 10 to 12 minutes. Tram Line 2 operates every eight minutes during daytime peak hours, with services every 10 to 12 minutes outside those periods,” added István Miklós, Traffic Director at DKV.
As part of the reconstruction project, a total of 228 metres of tram track has undergone a complete rail replacement. Once the works are completed, normal services on both Tram Lines 1 and 2 will resume from the start of operations on 13 July.
Source and photo credit: dehir.hu
