Passenger traffic in the tunnel of metro line No. 3 in Budapest has started 40 years ago. The present track section with a length of 17,3 km and the 20 stations were constructed in 20 years and in 5 stages. The line, nowadays referred to as the ”blue metro” intersects the Pest side of the city from the north to the south. It is a mean of transport that carries the most passengers in the capital city, on the longest route, playing an essential role in public transport. The very popular metro line No. 3, in spite of professional and accurate maintenance, had been worn down, had become obsolete as no comprehensive modernisation has taken place since its construction. The reconstruction of metro line No. 3 is one of the most significant transport investments and perhaps the most highly-anticipated one in the capital city. Budapest’s busiest metro line finally gets renewed in order to provide comfortable and modern travel that meets the technical and safety requirements of this age.
The reconstruction of the infrastructure of metro line No. 3 of Budapest became indispensable as no comprehensive modernisation has taken place since its construction and for more than three decades of its operation. In this period, its track, stations, technical facilities and trainsets had been worn down, had become obsolete, furthermore, in their current condition, they fail to comply with the requirements of full accessibility. The Government Decree No. 345/2012. (XII. 6.) declared the renovation of metro line No. 3 the national economy’s priority investment. The minister for national development issued a letter of endorsement on 27 January 2014, in which she suggested that the line’s modernisation should be financed from EU sources. On 25 August 2014, in the special session of the General Assembly of the Municipality of Budapest, the proposal on the execution of tasks related to the renovation of the infrastructure and rolling stock of metro line No. 3. gained acceptance. The Government decision No. 1199/2015. (III. 31.) with the title ’Supportability of projects of the capital city in the EU programming period 2014-2020’ amended the annex No. 3 of Government decision No. 1696/2014. (XI.26.) on the indicative list of road, rail and water transport and urban and suburban transport developments of national importance in the programming period 2014-2020, thus, the project of the reconstruction of the infrastructure of metro line No. 3 of Budapest is featured among the projects to be launched after 1 January 2015. The reconstruction of metro line No. 3 is provided for by Law No. CXVI of 2015 on the acceleration and simplification of particular investments in the development projects of the capital city.
