The first phase of the construction of the M5 metro line to Kálvin Square has started with test drilling, the Budapest Development Center (BFK) told MTI on Wednesday.

The southern suburban railway lines will run to Kálvin Square via Boráros Square due to the extension. The shared tunnel will reach 50 metres at Kalvin Square, below that used by Metro line 4.

As the soil composition around the tunnel will change in several places, as much information as possible is needed in the planning phase. This information is being collected by drilling boreholes. The first of these have been drilled at Kálvin Square.

Test drilling started in front of the National Museum on Kálvin Square (Source: Facebook/Dávid Vitézy) 

Balázs Fürjes, the State Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office responsible for the development of Budapest and its agglomeration, announced on Facebook on Wednesday that almost 100 boreholes would be drilled along the planned route every 50 meters over the next month. He added that the goal is for the passengers of the suburban railways to Csepel and Ráckeve to be able to reach the metro directly, as the passengers of the lines to Szentendre can at Batthyány Square or to Gödöllő at Örs vezér Square. In the second phase, the lines to Szentendre, Csepel and Ráckeve will be connected by a tunnel under the Danube, with which metro line 5 will be created.

He added that the implementation of these government plans is clearly supported by Mayor Gergely Karácsony and the Budapest City Council and was decided by the Budapest Public Development Council. “Budapest is not just about the city centre! Every citizen of Budapest, every part of the city, every district is equal. The inhabitants of the outer districts and the agglomeration also have a right to good living conditions and good transport. With the extension of the suburban railway lines to Csepel and Ráckeve to Kálvin tér and the construction of metro line 5, the southern parts of the city will have more efficient access to the city centre than ever before, ”Balázs Fürjes emphasized.

To prepare the plans for the tunnel between Közvágóhíd and Kálvin Square, the Budapest Development Center will start trial drilling boreholes (Source: Facebook/Dávid Vitézy) 

He also indicated that one million people travel to the city centre from the outer districts and suburbs every day. The city is already having a hard time handling the load: Budapest's roads are full, traffic jams are commonplace. According to the Secretary of State, the government accepts the professional consensus that this challenge needs to be addressed through a three-pronged solution. The first element of this is the need to improve Budapest's public transport, especially on guided networks, such as railways. As a second element, there is a need for missing northern and southern border bridges (Galvani, Aquincumi) and “boulevard elements” that create a direct connection between the outer parts of the city. The third is the missing P+R, and B+R infrastructure must be built.

The Secretary of State added that he is working with Dávid Vitézy, CEO of the Budapest Development Center, on implementing these plans.

In the video shared during with post, Dávid Vitézy said that when the suburban railway to Ráckeve was established in 1888, the plan was to extend it to Kálvin Square. This is no longer conceivable on the surface, only underground, and even then only by running the tunnel under metro 3 and 4.

The suburban railway to Ráckeve (Photo: Wikipedia)

The suburban railway lines to Csepel and Ráckeve are not connected to any of the metros. Plans are to rectify this omission with the current expansion. 

The boreholes are being drilled to determine the soil's makeup and how it changes at various depths.

Source: MTI | Abridged in translation

Cover photo: The first phase of the construction of metro line 5 has started with trial drillings (Source: Facebook / Dávid Vitézy)