THE Hungarian government issued a decree on February 5 to increase mainline passenger fleet capacity by 50,000 seats, which it equates to the purchase of up to 82 long-distance and suburban EMUs and 88 coaches.

Funding for the prospective orders will come from European Union (EU) sources and loans, as well as leasing agreements, the government says. Loan finance is anticipated to cover a contract for 15 long-distance EMUs, which will include options for an additional 45 trains.

EU funding will cover the purchase of 22 EMUs for suburban services while further loan finance will be used to purchase 78 coaches. Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) is expected to manufacture another 10 coaches in-house, possibly at its Szolnok works where 92 IC+ coaches were built.

Chinese order

Transport minister, János Lázár, confirmed last month that the ministry is in talks with Chinese supplier CRRC over the purchase of up to 70 EMUs to replace Hungary’s ageing locomotive-hauled InterCity fleet.

In January 2025, Lázár said that 100 stored coaches would be refurbished and put back into service to ease a capacity shortage on long-distance trains, which has been exacerbated by increasing ridership spurred by the introduction of discounted monthly passes. However, very few of these coaches have re-entered service. Hungary’s 300 inter-city services carried 43 million passengers in 2025.

In addition to the refurbished rolling stock, a further 285 IC+ carriages were proposed to be ordered from Magyar Vagon’s Szolnok plant. However, capacity at the plant is limited following bankruptcy of the group’s Dunakeszi works, which was confirmed in November. MÁV now uses the Dunakeszi site north of Budapest for maintenance and became the owner of the site in order to safeguard jobs under a deal agreed at the end of last year.

Ministry officials met with CRRC in China in November to discuss the proposed purchase and Lázár said the government wants to close the agreement before the general election on April 12. If the deal proceeds, the ministry expects delivery of the EMUs to take place within two years.

In reality, this may prove difficult. Rapid procurement may not be possible under standard public tendering procedures. MÁV also requires EMUs with catering facilities, complicating a possible order.

Hungarian press sources also claim that the price offered by CRRC is €20m per EMU. This would be more expensive per seat than the double-deck Railjet sets that Stadler is supplying to Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), but reflects the accelerated production and delivery schedule.

Commuter tender unsuccessful

Separately, MÁV has missed out on Forints 114bn ($US 360m) of EU funding earmarked for the purchase of a new EMU fleet to be deployed on four commuter lines in Budapest, operated by its subsidiary MÁV HÉV. No bids were received by the deadline of February 4 for the fleet tender, which was announced in late October.

MÁV was aiming to purchase 18 low-floor EMUs initially, with the contract set to include an option for another 36 trains. Delivery was expected by the end of 2029.

The government says it will reallocate the funding to other projects and that it will reissue the tender, although it will no longer be eligible to use EU funding for s in this purchase.

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