The Budapest Metropolitan Assembly has authorised BKK to launch a procurement procedure for the design works relating to the development of the Angyalföld tram depot and tram line 14.
Following the successful completion of the procedure – and provided that the required funding is secured – the implementation plans are expected to be completed by late summer 2027.
Subject to the availability of the necessary EU funding, the new depot project may include the construction of a hall capable of accommodating equipment for filling the new CAF trams with braking sand, the refurbishment of the depot’s track system, and the design of measures to accelerate tram operations in Angyalföld and Újpest.
The designer will be responsible for planning upgrades to the Angyalföld tram depot and tram line 14 that are essential for the introduction and operation of the CAF trams. Under the project, a new hall will house equipment for filling braking sand, contributing to the vehicles’ safe and reliable daily operation, and routes will be created for the movement of lorries transporting the sand.
The track layout will also need to be redesigned to facilitate the storage and movement of the new vehicles. The design task therefore includes planning the refurbishment of a total of 18 depot points. The project also encompasses interventions required to ensure faster operation of CAF trams on Line 14, such as upgrading the branching of Line 12 at Fóti út, the crossing at Dózsa György út, and the points around the depot.
With the procurement of the new CAF vehicles, the Angyalföld tram depot in District IV – located in the northern part of Pest – will assume additional responsibilities, including the storage and operation of the shorter CAF trams transferred from the Budafok depot.
The development of the Angyalföld tram depot is closely linked to the ongoing vehicle procurement project with the introduction of the new CAF trams and is essential for the long-term, uninterrupted storage and efficient operation of the additional trams arriving in Budapest. The new CAF trams are arriving continuously as part of the fleet of 51 vehicles previously ordered and currently in production.
In parallel with the renewal of the city’s rolling stock, the depots and facilities responsible for storing and maintaining the trams also require modernisation. Similar depot developments were necessary in the past, for example, when the Combino trams entered service.
With the introduction of all 51 CAF LRVs, and once the necessary EU infrastructure funding becomes available, the modern trams are planned to enter service on six additional lines, including Line 14. At the request of the Capital Assembly’s Committee on Climate Protection, Transport and Urban Development, BKK and BKV are also examining the infrastructure requirements for introducing the new LRVs on lines 47 and 49.
BKK remains confident that the EU funds previously earmarked under the RRF programme will become available for planning and carrying out the necessary infrastructure developments. “If, however, the required EU funding is not forthcoming, planning for the development cannot begin. In that case, an emergency solution prepared by BKK and BKV will allow the vehicles to remain in service, but the capital will face higher long-term operating costs, and passengers in Budapest will encounter the new CAF trams on fewer routes,” BKK explained.
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