An unusual incident brought traffic on Budapest’s M2 metro line to a standstill on Saturday after a wild boar made its way onto the platform at Lajos Kossuth station and briefly entered a train. The station was evacuated and closed, and services were suspended for nearly an hour and a half.
On Saturday morning, a wild boar entered the Lajos Kossuth metro station on Budapest’s M2 line, causing a situation which the operator, BKV, says it has never encountered before.
The animal was spotted by station staff as it was descending to platform level on one of the escalators that was not in operation.
The staff member at the station control centre immediately alerted the train driver, who was just pulling into the station. As a safety precaution, passengers on the platform were asked to board the train again.
The wild boar briefly entered the train
During the incident, the animal managed to enter one of the metro trains for a short time, without any passengers being injured.
The wild boar then left the train and descended a service staircase to the tracks, where it took refuge under a stationary train.
Staff from BKV, the company that operates public transport in Budapest, immediately evacuated and closed the station, and all passengers left the area safely.
The animal was injured
Emergency services arrived at the scene and attempted to capture the animal.
It was later established that the wild boar was injured. A veterinary officer from the authorities examined it and, after assessing its condition and the available options, decided to put the animal down.
It is not yet known where the wild boar was injured, nor how it ended up in the underground station.
Service on the M2 line suspended for nearly an hour and a half
The incident disrupted train services for nearly an hour and a half.
During the operation, trains on the M2 line did not run between Déli pályaudvar and Deák Ferenc tér, and passengers were transported by replacement buses.
Service on the entire M2 line resumed at 12:06, according to BKV.
The incident took place on Saturday, 8 August, and the operator emphasises that no one was injured.
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