HUNGARIAN State Railways (MÁV) subsidiary MÁV Passenger has issued a new tender for the supply of up to 54 1.5kV dc EMUs to operate on the HÉV commuter network in Budapest. The contract will include a base order for 18 trains and an option for 36 more.
The deadline for applications is May 26. The eight-year contract is expected to be worth a total of €841m, including training and spare parts.
The new air-conditioned trains will have a minimum capacity of 650 passengers each within a maximum length of 110m, with least 66% low-floor. The tender also specifies GPS-based passenger information systems, onboard Wi-Fi and power sockets for passengers.
With at least 40% of train axles powered, the EMUs should be capable of regenerative braking. Onboard batteries should be capable of enabling the train to operate in emergency mode for 1 hour.
The new fleet will be equipped with ETCS Level 1 or the ZBMS 2.0 automatic train protection system (ATP) system and two trains should be able to operate in multiple.
Previous tenders
MÁV first issued a tender for a new HÉV fleet five years ago, but that process was cancelled due to a lack of funding. Tendering started again in October 2025, but the unique design specified by MÁV attracted no bids. Train design has not been so tightly specified in the current tender, partly reflecting feedback from the supply industry.
The tender also specifies that the first trains must be in service before the end of 2029. This is to enable the order to be financed from the European Union (EU) Cohesion Fund which comes to an end at that time.
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