HUNGARY’s state-owned operator MÁV has retendered work to renovate operational stations across the country as part of its station renewal public-private partnership (PPP) programme. An original round of tendering closed at the end of January and received 49 applications, including eight from local government bodies. MÁV has not disclosed details but announced that there are bids for major stations in Budapest and also regional hubs as well as for some smaller stations.
However. MÁV has now announced that rather than entering into negotiations with those who have responded to the original tender as planned, it will instead rerun the tender to allow more interested parties to submit proposals for the renovation and use of stations while they remain in operation. The project has already come under fire from critics who believe that MÁV intends to privatise national assets.
