Planning of the tramline for the Galvani Bridge has begun. The new, two-track, four-kilometre tramway will run from Fehérvári Road in Buda across the new Danube bridge and North Csepel and over the new Ráckeve-Danube bridge to Gubacsi Road in Pest. Five stops easily accessible by those with limited mobility will be constructed along its length.

The public procurement tender announced for planning on 3 September 2020 was one by the consortium formed by Közlekedés Kft., TEN-T Zrt. and Arcus Mérnöki Iroda Kft. – writes a statement sent to the MTI. The winner of the public procurement tender for planning the tramline on the new bridge and the connected road network must prepare the plans for evaluation by July this year and the final plan by September. The company must secure all necessary final permits and consent forms, and approvals by the end of November

Galvani Bridge and the tramway will be built together, visual (Source: Budapest Development Center)

“The government aims to make travel in Budapest easier, and the development of guided public transport is a cornerstone of this is effort. It is therefore evident that a tram line should be built on the new southern Danube bridge. The government decided on the construction of the New Danube Bridge in December 2018. After a debate on the location of the bridge, the Budapest Public Development Council – a joint urban development body of the city council and the government – confirmed that Budapest's next bridge would be built between Galvani Street in Buda and Illatos Road in Pest in February 2020;" – noted Balázs Fürjes, Secretary of State for Development of Budapest and its agglomeration in the Prime Minister's Office.

They added that the new Danube Bridge would relieve the bridges in the city centre and reduce traffic overall according to computer traffic modelling.

The bridge will improve connections between the southern parts of Budapest and help revitalize the rustbelts in the area. Csepel will be connected directly with the 11th District of r the first time, and the first tramline on the island will also be built.

The bridge will improve connections between the southern parts of the capital, visual (Source: Budapest Development Center)

The announcement quotes Dávid Vitézy, CEO of BFK, who said that trams were added to Rákóczi Bridge two decades after its construction. The Budapest Transport Center (BKK) launched the project almost twenty years after the bridge opened, and it was completed in 2015. Until then, the space for their tracks was a gaping empty hole in the middle of the bridge. The city engulfed the bridge before the new tram line was built.

This error must not be repeated with Galvani Bridge; it must be built together with a tramway. The new tram line will connect the lines of the Buda tram network from Újbuda to the South Pest network and the Határ Road metro station - emphasized Dávid Vitézy.

According to the announcement, planners will have to create public transport lanes on the two bridges, which will be shared by trams and buses. The connected road network will be urban in nature, with trams running at level junctions, in many places between rows of trees and greens. The new line will offer connections to southern suburban rail lines, H6 to Ráckeve and the H7 line to Csepel.

The tramline will connect to suburban rail lines, visual (Source: Budapest Development Center)

Five accessible stops will be constructed on the line:  Fehérvári Road, Szerémi Road, Budafoki Road, Weiss Manfréd Road H7 and Soroksári Road H6.

Which routes BKK will operate along the tramway will be decided later, as this is also dependant on the road network to be built between Üllői Road and Gubacsi Road.

According to the BFK, the most likely option is for the tram to depart from the Határ Road metro station and reach the new section along Határ Road and Gubacsi Road. At Fehérvári Road, a connection to the existing tram network will be established, offering connection towards Újbuda, Móricz Zsigmond Circus, Villányi Road, the BAH junction, Alkotás Street, Széll Kálmán Square and Hűvösvölgy.

Source: MTI | Abridged in translation

Cover photo: Tramline for new Danube bridge being planned (Source: Budapest Development Center)