Debrecen4U
July 23, 2025
Travellers to Debrecen might be affected by the closure of Keleti station for weeks in August
The Keleti railway station will be closed for four weeks from 25 August for renovation work, CEO of the MÁV Group announced.
Zsolt Hegyi recalled: the derailment of two locomotives at the end of last summer and the beginning of autumn also highlighted the need to accelerate the renovation of Keleti Railway Station, the busiest railway station in the country. Therefore, one of his first decisions as CEO of MÁV was to launch the Keleti programme last autumn.
“However, the lion’s share of the work is coming now. From August 25, the technical conditions at the railway station will be renewed under complete closure for four weeks,” he said.
The CEO explained that switches, tracks, and overhead wires will be replaced, and interventions of such a volume will be carried out that will regulate the operation of Keleti Railway Station for years.
The closure of the country’s largest railway station can never come at a good time, because track closures always lead to more travel time and inconvenience.
Zsolt Hegyi thanked passengers for their patience in advance and said that with the Rákoszöredző track closure, alternative Volánbusz services are being prepared now, and they are working closely with BKK.
The Keleti programme is the largest track maintenance carried out by MÁV in 2025, the CEO emphasised.
According to the MÁV group’s announcement, the usual services will temporarily not arrive at Keleti railway station and will not depart from there.
Most trains from Debrecen arrive at Nyugati railway station, but there are two services daily, with Keleti as the final stop.
The traffic changes will significantly affect those traveling on the Győr, Pécs, Hatvan-Miskolc and Újszász-Békéscsaba railway lines.
The MÁV group is developing several transfer points in Budapest along the affected lines, which are easily accessible from all parts of the capital by HÉV and VOLÁN services, as well as BKK services.
According to the information, the largest investment since the 2019 renovation is being carried out at Keleti Railway Station. Most of the interventions are technical, while a smaller part affects the passenger traffic areas. During the complete traffic stop until September 20, specialists and machines will work day and night. Rails, switches, and more than 2,000 sleepers will be replaced; the bedding will be replaced, and bedding reinforcement will be carried out on three kilometers of sections; the tracks will be regulated on 14 kilometers; and the overhead line network will be improved on about 16 kilometres. In addition, the maintenance and replacement of electrical distribution equipment supplying the operational and passenger areas of the railway station, as well as their connection to a remote monitoring system, are planned. The platform between tracks 1 and 2 will be rebuilt, maintenance will also be carried out on all platform roofs, and repairs will be made to the platform sidewalks.
The announcement states that there are more solutions available for organising the temporary traffic schedule for the increasing work and school commute from the beginning of September than for redirecting the traditionally strong long-distance traffic in the summer, so the investments were consciously timed to the end of the school holidays.
Source and photo credit: dehir.hu
