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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Overview | |||
| Status | Operational | ||
| Line number | Line 3 ("Blue metro") | ||
| Termini | Nagyvárad tér Újpest-Központ | ||
| Stations | 20 (9 closed) | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Rapid transit | ||
| System | Budapest Metro | ||
| Operator(s) | BKV | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | December 31, 1976 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 16.5 km (10 mi)[1] | ||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Electrification | 825 V DC | ||
| Operating speed | 80 km/h[2] | ||
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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 opened | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Deák Ferenc tér – Nagyvárad tér | 31 December 1976 | 4.1 km |
| Nagyvárad tér – Kőbánya–Kispest | 29 March 1980 | 4.9 km |
| Deák Ferenc tér – Lehel 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
| Stations | Closing stations | Opening stations |
|---|---|---|
| Gyöngyösi-utca – Újpest-Központ | 4 November 2017 | 30 March 2019 |
| Népliget – Kőbánya-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 Klinikák – Nyugati 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
  Kőbánya-Kispest – Újpest-Központ | ||||
| Travel Time minutes |
Station | Travel Time minutes |
Connection | Buildings / Monuments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Kőbánya-Kispest ♿ | 8 |  68, 85, 85E, 93, 93A, 98, 98E, 136E, 148, 151, 182, 184, 193E, 200E, 201E, 202E, 282E, 284E 575, 576, 577, 580, 581Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) | |
| 2 | Határ út | 6 |  42, 50, 52 194M, 200E, 66, 66B, 66E, 84E, 89E, 94E, 99, 123, 123A, 194, 194B, 199, 294E | |
| 4 | Pöttyös utca | 4 | ||
| 5 | Ecseri út | 3 | 3 181, 281 | |
| 7 | Népliget ♿ | 1 | 1 607, 608, 626, 628, 629, 630, 631, 632, 633, 635, 636, 654, 655, 660, 661, 705 (Volánbusz) | Népliget, Groupama Arena, Planetarium |
| 8 | Nagyvárad 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 | ∫ | M3 | Semmelweis 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 |
| 0 | Lehel tér | 10 | 14 76 M3 to Nagyvárad tér 15, 115 | Lehel csarnok |
| 1 | Dózsa György út | 9 | 75, 79 | |
| 3 | Göncz Árpád városközpont 1 ♿ | 7 | 1 26, 32, 34, 106, 115, 120 800, 801, 805, 810, 815, 820, 830, 831, 832, 840 | |
| 5 | Forgách utca ♿ | 5 | 32 | |
| 6 | Gyöngyösi utca ♿ | 4 | 15, 105  | |
| 8 | Újpest-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) | |
| 10 | Újpest-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.
Gallery
Újpest-Központ
Újpest-városkapu
Újpest-városkapu
Gyöngyösi utca
Forgách utca
Göncz Árpád Városközpont
Dózsa György út
Lehel tér
Nyugati pályaudvar
Nyugati pályaudvar
Arany János utca
Deák Ferenc tér
Ferenciek tere
Kálvin tér
Kálvin tér
Kálvin tér
Corvin-negyed
Klinikák
Nagyvárad tér
Népliget
Ecseri út
Pöttyös utca
Határ út
Kőbánya-Kispest
First reconstructed train, Pöttyös utca
References
- 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
- Árpád Bodnár: A budapesti metró két évtizede ("Two decades of the Budapest Metro"), Városi Közlekedés, Year XXXI, Vol. 3, pp. 119-121, Budapest, 1991
- Ágnes Medveczky Kovácsyné: 25 éves a budapesti metró ("Budapest Metro is 25 years old"), BKV, Budapest, 1995
- Botond Aba: 30 éves a budapesti metró ("Budapest Metro is 30 years old"), Városi Közlekedés, Year XL, Vol. 2, pp. 71, Budapest, 2000
- Budapest City Atlas, Dimap-Szarvas, Budapest, 2011, ISBN 978-963-03-9124-5
- "Announcement about the state of Metro Line 3 by Budapest Mass Transport Company˝".
- "Reconstruction of Metro Line 3's trains starts". 2016-02-02.
- "Tarlós: reconstruction of the trains of Metro Line 3 can start". 2014-09-25.
- "The first reconstructed train on Line M3 enters service". 2017-03-20.
- "Két belvárosi állomás lezárásával folytatódik tavasszal az M3-as metró felújítása" (in Hungarian). Budapesti Közlekedési Központ. 2020-02-24. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- "Contracts of Metro Line 3 reconstruction signed". 2017-09-04.
- Szabó, Zsolt. "Nem mind lift, ami annak látszik a metróban". mno.hu (in Hungarian).
- "A kormány és a főváros a teljes körű akadálymentesítés mellé állt". meosz.hu (in Hungarian).
- "Átadták a hármas metró felújított szakaszát, és még klíma is lehet benne". hvg.hu (in Hungarian).
- "Stops, journey times and timetable of M3 (Nagyvárad tér → Újpest-központ)" (PDF) (in Hungarian and English). BKK. 2019-04-27. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
- "Stops, journey times and timetable of M3 (Újpest-központ → Nagyvárad tér)" (PDF) (in Hungarian and English). BKK. 2019-04-27. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
- "Route map of M3" (PDF) (in Hungarian and English). BKK. 2019-04-27. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
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