Metro Line M3 (Budapest Metro)

Line 3 (Officially: North-South Line, Metro 3 or M3, and unofficially: Blue Line) is the third and longest line of the Budapest Metro. It runs in a general north-south direction parallel to the Danube on the Pest side, roughly following Váci út south from Újpest to the city center, then following the route of Üllői út southeast to Kőbánya-Kispest. Its daily ridership is estimated at 626,179. Like Line 1, it does not serve Buda.

Metro Line M3
Overview
StatusOperational
Line numberLine 3 ("Blue metro")
TerminiNagyvárad tér
Újpest-Központ
Stations20 (9 closed)
Service
TypeRapid transit
SystemBudapest Metro
Operator(s)BKV
History
OpenedDecember 31, 1976 (1976-12-31)
Technical
Line length16.5 km (10 mi)[1]
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in)
Electrification825 V DC
Operating speed80 km/h[2]
Route map
Metro 3
Újpest-központ
Újpest-városkapu
Gyöngyösi utca
Forgách utca
Göncz Árpád városközpont
Dózsa György út
Lehel tér
Nyugati pályaudvar
Arany János utca
Deák Ferenc tér
Ferenciek tere
Kálvin tér
Corvin-negyed
Semmelweis Klinikák
Nagyvárad tér
Népliget
Ecseri út
Pöttyös utca
Határ út
Kőbánya-Kispest
Detailed track map
0
31
Újpest-központ
1
29
Újpest-városkapu
3
27
Gyöngyösi utca
5
25
Forgách utca
7
24
Göncz Árpád városközpont
8
22
Dózsa György út
10
21
Lehel tér
11
19
Nyugati pályaudvar
13
17
Arany János utca
15
16
Deák Ferenc tér
16
14
Ferenciek tere
17
13
Kálvin tér
19
11
Corvin-negyed
20
10
Semmelweis Klinikák
22
8
Nagyvárad tér
24
7
Népliget
26
5
Ecseri út
27
4
Pöttyös utca
29
2
Határ út
31
0
Kőbánya-Kispest
Refurbished train coming into the Kőbánya-Kispest terminus

History

The first decree for the third line was made in 1968.[3] Construction started in 1970, and the first section was opened in 1976 with six stations. It was extended five stations to the south in 1980, and to the north in 1981, 1984 and 1990 with eventually nine extra stations, reaching its current length of 20 stations and 16.5 km (10 mi), the longest line in Budapest.[2][3] Soviet-made 81-717/714 carriages (as in many Eastern Bloc metro systems) operate on this line. Operation started with 4-car trains in 1976, expanded to 6-car trains in 1984.[4] Six-car trains provide space for 1,097 people.[1] It was planned for a daily ridership of 800,000 people.[1]

Line 3 runs in a north-south direction (more exactly, from north-northeast to southeast) through the city and connects several populous microraion with the downtown.[5] It has a transfer station with Line 1 and Line 2 at Deák Ferenc tér, and a transfer station for Line 4 at Kálvin tér.

Ongoing reconstruction

The Mayor of Budapest Gábor Demszky was warned in 2006[6] by BKV that the line would soon need reconstruction, but no steps towards this were made before the new mayor István Tarlós took office in 2010. Some trains were prone to burning or smoking issues, but this has caused neither fatalities nor serious injuries so far. Tarlós reacted by ordering the retirement of all trains that were more than 40 years old. He also started the reconstruction of the tracks, because they were reported as hazardous. In 2014 the mayor's administration published the plans for the complete reconstruction of the line and Viktor Orbán's government allowed the local government to finance the reconstruction of the trains by taking up loans. Repayment of the loans was guaranteed by the national government in case the municipal government was not able to pay. The municipal government requested EU funds to finance the reconstruction of the underground infrastructure (tunnels and stations), and the national government guaranteed that it would provide additional financing in case insufficient EU funds were obtained.

In January 2016 the first train for reconstruction was handed over to the Russian Metrowagonmash (the original manufacturer).[7] Tarlós had preferred buying new trains, but was overruled by the Orbán government.[8] The prototype of the reconstructed trains entered service on March 20, 2017.[9] From then on, the number of reconstructed trains serving the line was scheduled to increase by 2 trains every month.

On September 4, 2017 contracts for reconstructing the tunnel and stations of the northern section were signed. The stations were to be finished by December 31, 2018, but in fact they were only reopened on March 30, 2019. The reconstruction of the southern section (Népliget – Kőbánya–Kispest) was started on April 6, 2019. On October 22, 2020, the southern, renovated section of Metro 3 was handed over. The Népliget station has become barrier-free, in 2021 Pöttyös utca and Ecseri út will also be barrier-free. The plan is to upgrade the metro at Arany János utca and Ferenciek tere from 9 March 2020,[10] and from July 2020 at Corvin Negyed and Semmelweis Klinikák stations. Reconstruction between the Nyugati Pályaudvar and Semmelweis klinikák will begin after the southern section has been commissioned. At these stops, the underground trains pass non-stop while work continues. Overhauling the tunnel is set to be completed by August 24, 2020. After this reconstruction, the renewed trains will probably stay in service for more than 20 years before having to be replaced.[11]

Criticism

Civil groups voiced their concerns over the lack of accessibility and air-conditioning.[12] In response, Tarlós promised modular AC units would be installed on the trains and the government agreed to make 18 out of the 20 stations accessible.[13][14]

Timeline

Segment[2][3]Date openedLength
Deák Ferenc térNagyvárad tér 31 December 1976 4.1 km
Nagyvárad tér – Kőbánya–Kispest 29 March 1980 4.9 km
Deák Ferenc térLehel tér 30 December 1981 2.4 km
Lehel tér – Árpád híd 5 November 1984 1.7 km
Árpád híd – Újpest–Központ 14 December 1990 3.4 km
Total 20 Stations 16.5 km

Reconstructions

StationsClosing stationsOpening stations
Gyöngyösi-utcaÚjpest-Központ 4 November 2017 30 March 2019
NépligetKőbánya-Kispest 6 April 2019 22 October 2020
Ferenciek tere, Arany János utca 7 March 2020 2022 (planned)
Semmelweis Klinikák, Corvin-negyed 11 July 2020 2022 (planned)
Semmelweis KlinikákNyugati pályaudvar 7 November 2020 2022 (planned)
Nagyvárad tér, Lehel tér 2021 (planned) 2023 (planned)

Rolling stock

  • 1976–2013: Metrovagonmash Ev, Ev1
  • 1976–2018: Metrovagonmash Ev3
  • 1980–2018: Metrovagonmash 81-717.2/714.2
  • 2017–present: Metrovagonmash 81-717.2k/714.2k

Stations and connections

Stations and connections of metro line M3[15][16][17]
Kőbánya-Kispest – Újpest-Központ
Travel Time
minutes
Station Travel Time
minutes
Connection Buildings / Monuments
0Kőbánya-Kispest

8 68, 85, 85E, 93, 93A, 98, 98E, 136E, 148, 151, 182, 184, 193E, 200E, 201E, 202E, 282E, 284E
575, 576, 577, 580, 581
Hungarian State Railways (MÁV)
2Határ út
6 42, 50, 52
194M, 200E, 66, 66B, 66E, 84E, 89E, 94E, 99, 123, 123A, 194, 194B, 199, 294E
4Pöttyös utca
4
5Ecseri út
3 3
181, 281
7Népliget
1 1
607, 608, 626, 628, 629, 630, 631, 632, 633, 635, 636, 654, 655, 660, 661, 705
(Volánbusz)
Népliget, Groupama Arena, Planetarium
8Nagyvárad tér
0 M3 to Lehel tér
24, 24G
281
Semmelweis University Nagyvárad Téri Elméleti Tömb (NET), Hungarian Natural History Museum, Ludovika Military Academy
Semmelweis Klinikák
Closed station
M3Semmelweis University Clinic
Corvin-negyed
Closed station
4, 6
83
M3
Museum of Applied Arts
Kálvin tér
Closed station

M3
47, 47B, 48, 49
83
9, 15, 100E, 115
Fővárosi Szabó Ervin Könyvtár, Hungarian National Museum
Ferenciek tere
Closed station
2
5, 7, 8E, 108E, 110, 112, 133E, 178
Deák Ferenc tér
Closed station

M3
47, 48, 49
9, 16, 100E, 105
Deák Ferenc tér, Town Hall, Metro Museum (Földalatti Vasúti Múzeum)
Arany János utca
Closed station
M3
72, 73
9
St. Stephen's Basilica
Nyugati pályaudvar
Closed station
M3
4, 6
72, 73
9, 26, 91, 191, 291
Hungarian State Railways (MÁV)
Nyugati pályaudvar, WestEnd City Center
0Lehel tér10 14
76
M3 to Nagyvárad tér
15, 115
Lehel csarnok
1Dózsa György út9 75, 79
3Göncz Árpád városközpont 1
7 1
26, 32, 34, 106, 115, 120
800, 801, 805, 810, 815, 820, 830, 831, 832, 840
5Forgách utca
5 32
6Gyöngyösi utca
4 15, 105
8Újpest-városkapu
2 104, 104A, 121, 122, 196, 196A, 204
300, 302, 303, 305, 306, 308, 309, 310, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 318, 319, 320, 872, 880, 882, 883, 884, 889, 890, 893

Hungarian State Railways (MÁV)
10Újpest-központ
0 12, 14
25, 30, 30A, 104, 104A, 120, 147, 170, 196, 196A, 204, 220, 230, 270

1Free-barrier only the Tram line 1, On January 30, 2020, the Árpád híd metro station was renamed Göncz Árpád városközpont.

References

  1. András Koós - Tamás Szirmay - Jenő Tiborcz: A budapesti 3-as metróvonal új szakasza ("The new section of Budapest Metro Line 3"), Városi Közlekedés, Year XXXI, Vol. 1, pp. 126-127, Budapest, 1991
  2. Árpád Bodnár: A budapesti metró két évtizede ("Two decades of the Budapest Metro"), Városi Közlekedés, Year XXXI, Vol. 3, pp. 119-121, Budapest, 1991
  3. Ágnes Medveczky Kovácsyné: 25 éves a budapesti metró ("Budapest Metro is 25 years old"), BKV, Budapest, 1995
  4. Botond Aba: 30 éves a budapesti metró ("Budapest Metro is 30 years old"), Városi Közlekedés, Year XL, Vol. 2, pp. 71, Budapest, 2000
  5. Budapest City Atlas, Dimap-Szarvas, Budapest, 2011, ISBN 978-963-03-9124-5
  6. "Announcement about the state of Metro Line 3 by Budapest Mass Transport Company˝".
  7. "Reconstruction of Metro Line 3's trains starts". 2016-02-02.
  8. "Tarlós: reconstruction of the trains of Metro Line 3 can start". 2014-09-25.
  9. "The first reconstructed train on Line M3 enters service". 2017-03-20.
  10. "Két belvárosi állomás lezárásával folytatódik tavasszal az M3-as metró felújítása" (in Hungarian). Budapesti Közlekedési Központ. 2020-02-24. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  11. "Contracts of Metro Line 3 reconstruction signed". 2017-09-04.
  12. Szabó, Zsolt. "Nem mind lift, ami annak látszik a metróban". mno.hu (in Hungarian).
  13. "A kormány és a főváros a teljes körű akadálymentesítés mellé állt". meosz.hu (in Hungarian).
  14. "Átadták a hármas metró felújított szakaszát, és még klíma is lehet benne". hvg.hu (in Hungarian).
  15. "Stops, journey times and timetable of M3 (Nagyvárad tér → Újpest-központ)" (PDF) (in Hungarian and English). BKK. 2019-04-27. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  16. "Stops, journey times and timetable of M3 (Újpest-központ → Nagyvárad tér)" (PDF) (in Hungarian and English). BKK. 2019-04-27. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  17. "Route map of M3" (PDF) (in Hungarian and English). BKK. 2019-04-27. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.