THE Hungarian government has approved a €1bn project to construct a rail link to Budapest's Ferenc Liszt International Airport.
According to economy minister, Marton Nagy, the rail link, together with a new cargo airport, which would cost between €400m and €1bn, will involve private investors and be carried out under a concession agreement.
A concession tender, expected to attract both domestic and international investment, could be launched within six months, with construction potentially beginning in 18 months’ time.
Although the airport is located only about 2km west of the Budapest - Cegléd main line, the plan is to build a dedicated rail link from the airport to Kőbánya, a distance of around 9km, where it would connect to the existing rail network. Trains would then run through to Budapest Nyugati station in the city centre.
The precise location of the airport station is still under consideration, but an underground location is favoured, primarily due to space constraints.
This decision comes in response to the airport's significant growth in passenger traffic, which has averaged 14% annually, reaching a record 17.6 million in 2024 and projected to exceed 20 million by 2030 and 35 million by 2040. With such high passenger traffic, it is necessary to establish a direct rail connection to the city centre, Nagy says.
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