BKV
Encyclopedia
BKV is the unified public transport
company of Budapest
, established in 1968. The BKV operates 3 metro
, 5 HÉV
, 32 tram
, 15 trolley bus, 207 bus
and 28 night bus
lines.
The city-owned BKV runs an extensive network of surface mass transportation, with the emphasis on buses. The dark blue liveried bus fleet includes 1457 vehicles on 215 routes and the trolleybus
es in red livery are operated on 14 lines. The night service is provided exclusively by buses. The articulated bus
is a hallmark of Budapest; both diesel and ETB
bendy vehicles have been running since the late 1950s and still form the majority of BKV's fleet.
In recent years, the bus service has been increasingly plagued by traffic jams as car use has increased and the narrow, congested streets of Budapest rarely allow for separate bus-lanes. Many motorists ignore bus-lane markings anyway, while few traffic lights fast-gate buses. The lamentable road conditions in Budapest incur continually high vehicle maintenance costs and inconvenience for bus passengers. Working conditions (esp. the age of the vehicles) and competitive wages are a serious issue as bus drivers are often lured to the trucking industry. Yet, the city council traditionally favours a bus service, owing to its flexibility and lower initial costs; some 150 brand new articulated buses were procured in 2004-2006.
BKV operates 27 city tram
lines and 4 commuter railway lines into the suburban agglomeration
. The once-extensive network of tram tracks and the brown striped yellow streetcars were a characteristic of Budapest, but the network was curtailed after the fall of Communism, owing to lack of funding. Line 4-6 is still the largest capacity tram-line in Europe. The streetcar and cogwheel railway services are now set to have a renaissance as there is no further road capacity for bus lanes in Budapest. Financing is being sought from the EU to help replace the more than 40-year-old rolling stock, starting with new 54-meter long Siemens Combino Supra
giants intended for the 4-6 line.
The underground railway
network is less extensive, including two full-sized metros (red M2, running roughly east-west and blue M3, north-south) utilizing Soviet technology, and the MFAV (or Földalatti), a small-sized underground tramway, which is over 100 years old. A third full-sized metro (M4) should be completed by 2011, as well as a high speed rail link to Ferihegy BUD
international airport, which is currently served by bus from the end of the M3 metro line. – See the main article Budapest Metro
. In 2005 a "BEB" monthly pass was introduced for a 10% extra cost over the regular price, which permitted the use of the MÁV national railway lines within the city area, effectively increasing the tracked service for BKV's passengers. Since 2009, all monthly (and 15-day) passes, now called a "Budapest Pass", are valid on the national railway and suburban bus lines within city boundaries.
rules did not allow Hungary to produce private cars domestically and Dacia / Lada
/ Skoda
/ Trabant
car imports were never enough. (After the Iron Curtain fell, a large number of second hand cars were imported from Austria and Western Europe, leading to rapid private motorisation of Budapest's streets.)
Since the fall of communism
BKV has been constantly plagued by a lack of funding and its fleet is becoming obsolete; as of October 2009 the average BKV diesel bus is 16,5 years old and the oldest one of the 1400 strong fleet is 24 years old, with 3,5 million kilometers to its track record. BKV operates on a net-loss basis; state-mandated ticket prices cover less than 50% of running costs.
The state circumvents EU regulations by failing to fully compensate the BKV company for operating costs and amortization
, and so funds for new vehicles are scarce. BKV has survived by selling off some of its old garage and repair bases for mall and housing development.
In 2004-2006, 150 low-floor Volvo 7700A
articulated buses were acquired via a long term leasing agreement from Volvo Polska, to provide a replacement service during months of extensive reconstruction work on the M2 underground line and the lengthy 4-6 tram line. This batch of 150 Volvos represents the first significant new addition to BKV's fleet in five years. A contract has been signed about buying a single large batch of new underground railway trains from Alstom
, at considerable discount, for the M4 line (under construction) and the refurbished M2 line. The first trains for M2 have already arrived, but are not in service due to some adaptation problems.
The assembly, because of majority of resisting members in the first round (according to inner sources, the governing Socialist Party, which had then approx. 50% support in the Capital (without campaigning with the transparency degrees and dissolving the Assembly for it) informed the resisting members of the coalition who belonged to SZDSZ (support 0.1%) that both the transparency degrees in one package and a degree for dissolving the Assembly will be handed in in the following order and should it fail to get majority, the second motion (knowing the behaviour of the opposition) surely will, and after the elections the socialist will push the transparency package through, and govern the city alone. They asked for a second round before a round with the second motion and promised to vote in favour of it.) was the last to follow the government's philosophy of transparency.
The government's concept was online transparency of scanned documents and searchable money databases to the public and the press (arbitrarily checked for validity by independent, competing authorities), implemented in comprehensive laws and degrees applying to state-owned and directly local-government related employees and contracts since March 2009. (These laws also required taking methodologies used by modern multi-national companies, like money transfers of increasing value intervals have to be confirmed by people of increasing levels in the hierarchy of the relevant sector of the company.) These also applied to businesses owned in mayority by state- or local government, but the greater legal independence of the local government of the capital city made it necessary to construct its own transparency package.
Only a minority of regular BKV vehicles are wheelchair accessible: Ikarus 412 diesel and ETB low-floor buses, Solaris ETB trolley buses, Volvo and Van Hool articulated buses, Localo solo buses and a few stations on the metro system. There are, however, a few small-sized BKV buses, which can be reserved by phone to transport a person using a wheelchair
. The M4 metro line will have public elevator
s installed in every station. Most of the current M2 and M3 metro stations only have escalator
s.
Currently available regular service line with handicapped compatible low-floor vehicles:
Metro
Tram
Many of the bus and trolleybus lines have some low-floor or low-entry cars:
All buses in Budapest run on diesel fuel.
Mercedes-Benz
Citaro
owned by Volánbusz
Volvo 7700A owned by Volánbusz
King Long XMQ6121G owned by Volánbusz's subcontractors, T&J Limited and Kontakt-Busz Limited.
Nógrád Volán and VT Transman are BKV's subcontractors run some routes by their own vehicles, but those vehicles have blue-grey painting like BKV's, and they are completely integrated in BKV system. Volánbusz or its subsubcontractors runs suburban lines. But they are members of Budapest Transport Organization (BKSZ), so their lines can be used by regular tickets inside the city (300s, 600s, 700s, 800s and 2000s lines).
In service on lines 18, 59, 59A and 61.
The five metro lines are marked on the map in different colours:
The current livery of the M2 and M3 trains is blue (lighter shade than on buses), on M1 vehicles are painted yellow.
was filmed in the M2 and M3 metro tunnels during 2002-2003. The movie has won several awards. The ironic beginning of the movie features Botond Aba, former CEO of BKV, who declares that all events and locations shown in the film are purely fictional.
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
company of Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, established in 1968. The BKV operates 3 metro
Budapest Metro
The Budapest Metro is the rapid transit system in the Hungarian capital Budapest. It is the second-oldest underground metro system in the world after the London Underground. Its iconic Line 1, dating from 1896, was declared a World Heritage Site in 2002.-Lines:The Metro consists of three lines,...
, 5 HÉV
HÉV
Budapest HÉV is a system of four commuter rail and rapid transit lines in and around Budapest, Hungary. The HÉV lines were constructed as branch lines of the Hungarian State Railways...
, 32 tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
, 15 trolley bus, 207 bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
and 28 night bus
Night bus
A night bus service or owl service is a public transport bus service which operates through the night time hours. Many cities operate such services, either in addition to or in substitution for ordinary daytime bus services or rapid transit rail services which may shut for maintenance or due to...
lines.
Road vehicle operation
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
es in red livery are operated on 14 lines. The night service is provided exclusively by buses. The articulated bus
Articulated bus
An articulated bus is an articulated vehicle used in public transportation. It is usually a single-deck design, and comprises two rigid sections linked by a pivoting joint...
is a hallmark of Budapest; both diesel and ETB
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
bendy vehicles have been running since the late 1950s and still form the majority of BKV's fleet.
In recent years, the bus service has been increasingly plagued by traffic jams as car use has increased and the narrow, congested streets of Budapest rarely allow for separate bus-lanes. Many motorists ignore bus-lane markings anyway, while few traffic lights fast-gate buses. The lamentable road conditions in Budapest incur continually high vehicle maintenance costs and inconvenience for bus passengers. Working conditions (esp. the age of the vehicles) and competitive wages are a serious issue as bus drivers are often lured to the trucking industry. Yet, the city council traditionally favours a bus service, owing to its flexibility and lower initial costs; some 150 brand new articulated buses were procured in 2004-2006.
Service on tracks
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
lines and 4 commuter railway lines into the suburban agglomeration
Agglomeration
In the study of human settlements, an urban agglomeration is an extended city or town area comprising the built-up area of a central place and any suburbs linked by continuous urban area. In France, INSEE the French Statistical Institute, translate it as "Unité urbaine" which means continuous...
. The once-extensive network of tram tracks and the brown striped yellow streetcars were a characteristic of Budapest, but the network was curtailed after the fall of Communism, owing to lack of funding. Line 4-6 is still the largest capacity tram-line in Europe. The streetcar and cogwheel railway services are now set to have a renaissance as there is no further road capacity for bus lanes in Budapest. Financing is being sought from the EU to help replace the more than 40-year-old rolling stock, starting with new 54-meter long Siemens Combino Supra
Combino Supra
The Combino Supra , Combino MkII, or Combino Plus is a new Combino model made of stainless steel instead of light materials, and manufactured at a new assembly line in Vienna.-Design differences with original Combino:...
giants intended for the 4-6 line.
The underground railway
Underground railway
Underground railway may refer to:*The Underground Railroad, a network of clandestine routes by which African slaves in the 19th century United States attempted to escape*Rapid transit, urban railways that sometimes use tunnels...
network is less extensive, including two full-sized metros (red M2, running roughly east-west and blue M3, north-south) utilizing Soviet technology, and the MFAV (or Földalatti), a small-sized underground tramway, which is over 100 years old. A third full-sized metro (M4) should be completed by 2011, as well as a high speed rail link to Ferihegy BUD
Budapest Ferihegy International Airport
Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport , formerly known as Budapest Ferihegy International Airport, is the international airport serving the Hungarian capital city of Budapest, and the largest of the country's five international airports. The airport offers international connections primarily...
international airport, which is currently served by bus from the end of the M3 metro line. – See the main article Budapest Metro
Budapest Metro
The Budapest Metro is the rapid transit system in the Hungarian capital Budapest. It is the second-oldest underground metro system in the world after the London Underground. Its iconic Line 1, dating from 1896, was declared a World Heritage Site in 2002.-Lines:The Metro consists of three lines,...
. In 2005 a "BEB" monthly pass was introduced for a 10% extra cost over the regular price, which permitted the use of the MÁV national railway lines within the city area, effectively increasing the tracked service for BKV's passengers. Since 2009, all monthly (and 15-day) passes, now called a "Budapest Pass", are valid on the national railway and suburban bus lines within city boundaries.
Passenger statistics
As of 2009, approximately 54% of the passenger traffic in Budapest, a city of 1.7 million inhabitants, is still carried by BKV vehicles, with the remaining 46% using private vehicles. During 2003 a total of 1.4 billion people travelled by BKV. During the Socialist era, Budapest had 2 million residents and its public vs. private transport ratio (the so-called modal split) was 80% : 20% in favor of mass transit. This ratio was a result of artificial restriction: COMECONComecon
The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance , 1949–1991, was an economic organisation under hegemony of Soviet Union comprising the countries of the Eastern Bloc along with a number of communist states elsewhere in the world...
rules did not allow Hungary to produce private cars domestically and Dacia / Lada
Lada
Lada is a trademark of AvtoVAZ, a Russian car manufacturer in Tolyatti, Samara Oblast. All AvtoVAZ vehicles are currently sold under the Lada brand, though this was not always so; Lada was originally AvtoVAZ's export brand for models it sold under the Zhiguli name in the domestic Soviet market...
/ Skoda
Škoda
Škoda is a Czech surname and brand name. It may refer to:* Škoda Auto, automobile manufacturer in the Czech Republic...
/ Trabant
Trabant
The Trabant is a car that was produced by former East German auto maker VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau in Zwickau, Sachsen. It was the most common vehicle in East Germany, and was also exported to countries both inside and outside the communist bloc...
car imports were never enough. (After the Iron Curtain fell, a large number of second hand cars were imported from Austria and Western Europe, leading to rapid private motorisation of Budapest's streets.)
Funding
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
BKV has been constantly plagued by a lack of funding and its fleet is becoming obsolete; as of October 2009 the average BKV diesel bus is 16,5 years old and the oldest one of the 1400 strong fleet is 24 years old, with 3,5 million kilometers to its track record. BKV operates on a net-loss basis; state-mandated ticket prices cover less than 50% of running costs.
The state circumvents EU regulations by failing to fully compensate the BKV company for operating costs and amortization
Amortization
Amortization is the process of decreasing, or accounting for, an amount over a period. The word comes from Middle English amortisen to kill, alienate in mortmain, from Anglo-French amorteser, alteration of amortir, from Vulgar Latin admortire to kill, from Latin ad- + mort-, mors death.When used...
, and so funds for new vehicles are scarce. BKV has survived by selling off some of its old garage and repair bases for mall and housing development.
In 2004-2006, 150 low-floor Volvo 7700A
Volvo B7L
Volvo B7L was a low floor citybus chassis with a rear engine mounted vertically on the left of the rear overhang, it was built as a replacement for the Volvo B10L...
articulated buses were acquired via a long term leasing agreement from Volvo Polska, to provide a replacement service during months of extensive reconstruction work on the M2 underground line and the lengthy 4-6 tram line. This batch of 150 Volvos represents the first significant new addition to BKV's fleet in five years. A contract has been signed about buying a single large batch of new underground railway trains from Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
, at considerable discount, for the M4 line (under construction) and the refurbished M2 line. The first trains for M2 have already arrived, but are not in service due to some adaptation problems.
Corruption Scandal
In 2009-2010 investigations into corruption led the police examine all money logs and contracts of the 20-year period individually, to find issues unrelated to the already detected ones. Many high-level employees and independent or in-company participants were arrested and sentenced. This issue led the owner, the Local Government of the Capital City making BKV accept a new Company Inner Regulation System and its assembly enacting local government degrees guaranteeing complete transparency in the contracts, billings, and job descriptions for the owner, and all representatives of its assembly even individually. This regulation was extended to all enterprises owned in mayority by the city council.The assembly, because of majority of resisting members in the first round (according to inner sources, the governing Socialist Party, which had then approx. 50% support in the Capital (without campaigning with the transparency degrees and dissolving the Assembly for it) informed the resisting members of the coalition who belonged to SZDSZ (support 0.1%) that both the transparency degrees in one package and a degree for dissolving the Assembly will be handed in in the following order and should it fail to get majority, the second motion (knowing the behaviour of the opposition) surely will, and after the elections the socialist will push the transparency package through, and govern the city alone. They asked for a second round before a round with the second motion and promised to vote in favour of it.) was the last to follow the government's philosophy of transparency.
The government's concept was online transparency of scanned documents and searchable money databases to the public and the press (arbitrarily checked for validity by independent, competing authorities), implemented in comprehensive laws and degrees applying to state-owned and directly local-government related employees and contracts since March 2009. (These laws also required taking methodologies used by modern multi-national companies, like money transfers of increasing value intervals have to be confirmed by people of increasing levels in the hierarchy of the relevant sector of the company.) These also applied to businesses owned in mayority by state- or local government, but the greater legal independence of the local government of the capital city made it necessary to construct its own transparency package.
Usage
BKV uses a paper-based system of tickets and passes; a 32-euro pass allows an adult to travel on any BKV vehicle for one month. There are plans to introduce smartcard passes and tickets within a few years, in an attempt to reduce fare evasion (by approximately 10% of passengers).- See also the usage of the Budapest Metro.
People with disabilities
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
. The M4 metro line will have public elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s installed in every station. Most of the current M2 and M3 metro stations only have escalator
Escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...
s.
Currently available regular service line with handicapped compatible low-floor vehicles:
Metro
- line M1: Only stations Deák tér, Széchenyi fürdő, Mexikói út. (a disabled person has to ask for the operator of the wheelchair lift; lifts non-functional since at least 2009)
- line M2: Only stations Stadionok, Pillangó utca, Örs vezér tere
Tram
- 4, 6: all vehicles (except for some during peak hours)
Many of the bus and trolleybus lines have some low-floor or low-entry cars:
- 5, 7, 9, 14, 26, 33, 70, 74, 76, 103, 114, 130, 173, 178, 212 among many others.
Buses
- IkarusIkarus BusIkarus is a bus manufacturer based in Budapest, Hungary. It was established in 1895 as Uhri Imre Kovács- és Kocsigyártó Üzeme .-History:...
260: Domestically produced, 11 metres (36.1 ft) long, entirely high-floor buses; age of fleet between 18 and 26 years. Considered the "workhorse", it negotiates poor road conditions and heavy use easily, but passengers suffer a lot of noise and vibration from the under-floor mounted engine.
- Ikarus 263: Hungarian made, 12 metres (39.4 ft) long, entirely high-floor buses. A longer and more modern version of Ikarus 260.
- Ikarus 280: Articulated version of the Ikarus 260; age of fleet between 17 and 24 years. Some of the fleet were entirely rebuilt in 1997 and painted in red-blue livery for use on 7-173 express routes, but from 2008 onwards, some of them were repainted in the standard blue livery. These are the long, bendy version of the Ikarus 260.
- Ikarus 405: Two-door, 7.3 metres (24 ft) long, partially low-floor minibuses for weight-restricted routes, such as the Castle District and Gellért Hill. The design is extremely compact, which results in a cramped passenger compartment. Equipped with fragile independent front suspension, it is prone to roll, but is still expected to run on hilly routes, for lack of a replacement. Most Ikarus 405 vehicles have tilted, 3 shade green striping painted at the front, except for those rebuilt in 2011, which have a horizontal grey stripe instead.
- Ikarus 412: Locally manufactured, 12 metres (39.4 ft) long, entirely low-floor buses; age of fleet between 10 and 12 years. The type is a serious failure, manufactured during the final decline of the Ikarus company; literally no two vehicles are identical in the 412 fleet. Several engine compartment fires forced BKV to rebuild the propulsion cells and the chassis is still prone to fracture. Suffers from narrower rear door and gangway. Almost the 412 are painted in a light shade of blue, except for those reconstructed in 2009 and 2010, and those repainted in 2011, which are dark blue and have a horizontal grey stripe on the front.
- Ikarus 415: Locally manufactured, 11.4 metres (37.4 ft) long, entirely high-floor buses, age of fleet between 17 and 24 years. Their rear-mounted DAF diesel engines are famous for their terrible roar, scaring passers-by, but the cab is quieter. The reduced size of their rear passenger door of the later models is can cause problems during peak hours. Almost all Ikarus 415 vehicles have tilted, 3 shade green striping at the front.
- Ikarus 435: Locally manufactured, 17.9 metres (58.7 ft) long articulated version of Ikarus 415; age of fleet between 15 and 18 years. Initially equipped with pusher-type articulated drive, they suffered a lot of technical problems and still struggle with chassis weaknesses. They are generally liked by passengers, as their 735 mm (28.94 in) high floor is lower than the Ikarus 200 series' 960 mm (37.8 in) very high floor level. Along with the Ikarus 280 and Volvo 7700A, the Ikarus 435 is the workhorse of the BKV bus fleet. It is common to see rebuilt versions around the city. These vehicles have tilted, 3 shade green stripes at the front.
- VolvoVolvo BusesVolvo Buses is a subsidiary and a business area of the Swedish vehicle maker Volvo, which became an independent division in 1968. It is based in Göteborg....
7700A: Polish made 17.9 metres (58.7 ft) long bendy buses, based on Swedish B7LA chassis. Considered a technological marvel by experts for cramming four double doors and a usable gangway into a fully low-floor vehicle with vertically mounted engine. Current fleet of 150 arrived in three batches of fifty in 2004/2005/2006; the latest model is extremely advanced. Some passengers do not like them because of the cramped standing areas (low floor design causes slimmer standing areas), and slower run times (due to poor road conditions, especially on the 7-173 line). During their service years, they became liked vehicles because of their higher comfort level and quietness. All of them are air conditioned (the first 50 was equipped by AC later), which is unique to BKV's bus fleet.
- Van Hool AG300Van HoolVan Hool NV is a Belgian coachbuilder and manufacturer of buses, coaches, trolleybuses, and trailers.The company was founded in 1947 by Bernard van Hool in Koningshooikt, nearby Lier, Belgium. In the early years, the company introduced serial production and exported their products all over Europe...
: Belgian-made 18 metres (59.1 ft) long articulated bus. The AG300 is a special type of fully low-floor buses - the engine is located between the first and the second axles, so the third axle can be steered. 32 of them were bought by BKV in the summer of 2009 to ease the lack of modern vehicles. They were built in 2000-2001 and used in Brussels. At BKV they were equipped by AC, but despite the plans they weren't painted blue yet, they run with their original color (some of them are yellow, others are silver). They seem massive enough for appaling roads, but their mechanical conditions are poor so they aren't reliable at all. Passengers noticed them for narrow inner space of the fore part, although the back has rather a large standee place.
- MAN SL 223: Turkish-German made, 12 metres (39.4 ft) long, entirely high-floor buses with an age of 10 years. They are owned by VT-Transman and operated on some South-Western small-volume routes in a private venture, but for regular fee.
- Alfabusz-Volvo Localo: Hungarian made 12.5 metres (41 ft) buses with partially low-floor floor combination, based on a Swedish Volvo B7RLEVolvo B7RLEVolvo B7RLE is a low-floor single-deck citybus launched initially in Australia in 2001, and then in the United Kingdom in 2003 to supplement the B7L single-decker, which was unsuccessful in both countries. It is similar to the B7L's predecessor, the B10BLE...
chassis. They are massive and running fast enough but many passengers don't like it because of the extreme high rear section. They are not owned by BKV but by subcontractors, Nógrád Volán and VT-Transman.
- Other types:
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz buses
Mercedes-Benz has been making buses since 1895 in Mannheim in Germany. Since 1995, the brand of Mercedes-Benz buses and coaches is under the umbrella of EvoBus GmbH, belonging 100 % to the Daimler AG.-Heritage:...
Citaro
Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro
The Mercedes-Benz Citaro is the current Mercedes-Benz/EvoBus mainstream single-decker bus intended for public transport, introduced in 1997 and replaced the Mercedes-Benz O405/O405N series...
owned by Volánbusz
Volvo 7700A owned by Volánbusz
King Long XMQ6121G owned by Volánbusz's subcontractors, T&J Limited and Kontakt-Busz Limited.
Nógrád Volán and VT Transman are BKV's subcontractors run some routes by their own vehicles, but those vehicles have blue-grey painting like BKV's, and they are completely integrated in BKV system. Volánbusz or its subsubcontractors runs suburban lines. But they are members of Budapest Transport Organization (BKSZ), so their lines can be used by regular tickets inside the city (300s, 600s, 700s, 800s and 2000s lines).
Trolleybuses
- ZiU-9ZiU-9ZiU-9 is the Soviet trolleybus vehicle. Other names and indexes for the same vehicle include ZiU-682 and HTI-682 . The ZiU acronym stands for Zavod imeni Uritskogo, which means plant named after Moisei Uritsky, the Russian revolutionary...
: These 11.8 metres (38.7 ft) Soviet-made vehicles have partial semi-low floor at the rear. The fleet is 27–33 years old and suffers from rust as well as degraded insulation of the electric drive system.
- Ikarus 280T: Ikarus 280 articulated body equipped with GanzGanzThe Ganz electric works in Budapest is probably best known for the manufacture of tramcars, but was also a pioneer in the application of three-phase alternating current to electric railways. Ganz also made / makes: ships , bridge steel structures , high voltage equipment...
chopper-based electronics.
- Ikarus 435T: Ikarus 435 articulated body equipped with Kiepe electronics.
- Ikarus 411/412T: The 412T is a 12 m (39.4 ft) long low floor Ikarus 412 body equipped with Kiepe electronics. Limited fleet, resulting from the collapse of Ikarus and BKV's lack of funds during late-90's. The similar-looking, 11m long 411T is, however, a unique vehicle which is a couple of years older: it was an Ikarus test trolleybus, and later it was transferred to BKV as a compensation for delayed shipments.
- SolarisSolaris Bus & CoachSolaris Bus & Coach S.A. is a bus, coach and trolleybus manufacturer based in Bolechowo-Osiedle and Środa Wielkopolska, near Poznań, Poland.It is a family-owned business, with Krzysztof Olszewski as president and his wife Solange as chairman...
Trollino: Polish-made fully low-floor 12 metres (39.4 ft) buses designed as genuine ETB vehicles. They do surprisingly well on bad Budapest roads, but the fleet is limited: BKV operates only 16 of them. Following the fiscal collapse of the GanzGanzThe Ganz electric works in Budapest is probably best known for the manufacture of tramcars, but was also a pioneer in the application of three-phase alternating current to electric railways. Ganz also made / makes: ships , bridge steel structures , high voltage equipment...
Transelektro Group, the local co-manufacturer the delivery of the 2nd series was delayed for several months, and was finalized by Skoda, the new owner of Ganz Transelektro.
Present fleet
- ICS: Abbreviation of Ipari Csuklós (English: Industrial Articulated), built by Ganz between 1967 and 1978 in Hungary, 26 metres (85.3 ft) long, high-floor, double-articulated, 8 axle tram. Almost every time they run single, but at the Grand Boulevard coupled. Similarly narrow-bodied as the UV type, they can be used on any BKV tram route. The name "Industrial" is used to distinguish the trams from the earlier "Home-made" articulated trams (commonly known as "Bengalis", no longer in service), built by BKV itself.
- KCSV-7: 30 of the 150 ICS has been re-bodied and rebuilt by Ganz-Ansaldo between 1996 and 1999, with passenger compartment heating and modernized engines. KCSV stands for Közúti Csuklós Villamos or Korszerűsített Csuklós Villamos (English: Articulated Tram for Public Road or Modernized Articulated Tram)
- ČKD Tatra T5C5Tatra T5C5The Tatra T5C5 was tramcar built by ČKD Tatra in Prague in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1978, two prototypes were tested in Prague and Budapest. They differed in many ways to earlier Tatra products, most notably that the vehicle was controlled by a hand lever rather than a foot pedal...
: Made in Czechoslovakia from 1978 to 1984, 14.7 metres (48.23 ft) long, high-floor trams . They either run in pairs or triples depending on demand. They are comfortable but their wider superstructure limits the lines they can serve. Some were rebuilt with better electronics in the early 2000s.
- CKD T5C5K: CKD T5C5K is an upgraded version of the T5C5, with dot-matrix displays for informing passengers.
In service on lines 18, 59, 59A and 61.
- DüwagDUEWAGThe DUEWAG AG was one of Germany's major manufacturers for rail vehicles. The business was sold in 1999 to Siemens transportation.- History :The company was founded in 1898 as Waggonfabrik Uerdingen AG in Uerdingen...
TW 6000TW 6000The TW 6000 is a type of articulated light rail vehicle used on the Hanover Stadtbahn system, originally manufactured by Düwag, AEG, Kiepe and Siemens, the later batches being built by LHB ....
: Manufactured in West GermanyWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
between 1972-1973, very high floor trams, purchased in 2002 refurbished from the city of Hannover. These 28 metres (91.9 ft) vehicles only run as singles and are noted for their extremely quiet run (which did cause some minor accidents initially). Originally designed to serve as light-rail trains, the TW6000 vehicles have a variable door-well feature, which could serve tram stops in a step-free entry configuration. This feature is much appreciated by pregnant mothers and the elderly, but so far no money has been found to build the elevated platforms required to support it.
- SiemensSiemens Transportation SystemsSiemens Mobility is a division of the German Siemens AG conglomerate. The Mobility sub-division brings together Siemens competencies in rail, road, and air traffic solutions....
Combino SupraCombino SupraThe Combino Supra , Combino MkII, or Combino Plus is a new Combino model made of stainless steel instead of light materials, and manufactured at a new assembly line in Vienna.-Design differences with original Combino:...
: Redesigned (constructed of steel instead of the originally proposed aluminium) version of the previously controversial CombinoCombinoThe Combino is a low floor tram produced by Siemens Transportation Systems . The first prototype was produced in 1996 at the Duewag works in Düsseldorf; the trams are currently made in Krefeld-Uerdingen. Because of its modular design using standardised components, and the resulting reduced costs,...
, made in 2005-2007 in AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, fully ultra low floorUltra Low FloorThe Ultra Low Floor tram is a low-floor tram operating in Vienna, Austria and Oradea, Romania, with the lowest floor-height of any such vehicle...
trams of a special, 54 metres (177.2 ft) long, six module design (intended only for Budapest). With six modules, as of 2008, they are the longest passenger trams of the world. Currently servicing lines 4 and 6.
Former types
- UV, (Series "U", remote controlled "távVezérelt"): built domestically during 1956-1965, based on pre-WWIIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
designs and without heating. These cars were quite popular among tram enthusiasts of the world. When BKV celebrated its 50 years of service, an elaborate "UV Day" parade was one of the items. They usually ran in pairs, or pairs sandwiching a trailer (some of which were built in 1939). These cars were narrower than many of the later types, so that they fit the whole network including some tunnels. Despite this, they were withdrawn as of 2008, as spare parts were no longer available.
Other trains
- Cogwheel RailwayBudapest Cog-wheel RailwayThe Budapest Cog-wheel Railway, officially called Tram line number 60, is a rack railway running in Budapest, Hungary.- History :Since 1868 a horse tramway ran on schedule from the Lánchíd to Zugliget set in operation by the Budai Közúti Vaspálya Társaság...
: 1970s era red carriages built by SGPSimmering-Graz-PaukerSimmering-Graz-Pauker AG was one of the most important Austrian industrial conglomerates, which used to have several thousand employees all around the world.-Images:Heute das ist SIemmens SGP 2007...
of Austria are currently in service, but civil organizations are pushing for their replacement as well as the reconstruction of the entire track, which is unlikely to happen in near future, because of the cost.
- HÉVHÉVBudapest HÉV is a system of four commuter rail and rapid transit lines in and around Budapest, Hungary. The HÉV lines were constructed as branch lines of the Hungarian State Railways...
: East German built 60-70-80s era MX, MXa and MIXa vehicles, painted green, serve all the lines. They are comfortable but noisy and relatively slow, sometimes owing to track conditions. Because of highly flammable interior materials and poor braking effectiveness, the fate of the fleet is in limbo with the rail safety authority.
- MFAV: Domestically-built double-articulated carriages from 1973 run on this line. Loosely based on the above mentioned ICS tram technology, they feature three small carriages per set, in a fully low floor configuration. Unlikely to be replaced in the near future, MFAV vehicles are noted for high maintenance requirements, dictated by the cramped engine nacelles (needed to fit the tiny 100-year-old tunnel).
- Underground: Both M2 and M3 lines are served by 5- or 6-carriage trains of Soviet origin. These Mitisin Factory-built metro vehicles are noisy, consume too much electricity and show a lot of wear after 25+ years of service. Nine trains were refurbished from 2000 to 2003 but this did not significantly improve passenger comfort. BKV bought 37 Alstom Metropolis for the M2 and M4 lines. There are some problems about the delivery, and at March 2010, BKV CEO István Kocsis declared that BKV may cancel the contract with Alstom because of so many delays and problems (at M2 the new carriages should serve since February 2009, but they aren't yet). In July 2011 the new trains are still not in service but the contract could not be cancelled because that could have meant losing EU funding thus a modified contract was signed after some renegotiations and legal dispute over calling back the advance payment. 43 carriages were withdrawn from service, including all but one complete refurbished trains because of a misunderstanding (they are one to two years older than unrefurbished trains, but of a much better state of repair).
Miscellaneous vehicles
- Massive yellow-blue trucks and orange-painted lorries are used by BKV to repair overhead wires. They are equipped with blue rotating lights and sirens and are thus authorized to ignore road traffic regulations when dealing with an emergency.
- Orange minivans and white Renault trucks are used to repair buses on site, these only have orange warning lights.
Livery and colors
BKV paints its vehicles different colors by type.- Trams: yellow
- HÉV vehicles: green
- Trolleybuses: red
- Buses: blue
The five metro lines are marked on the map in different colours:
- M1: yellow
- M2: red
- M3: blue
- M4 (under construction): green
- M5 (planned): purple
The current livery of the M2 and M3 trains is blue (lighter shade than on buses), on M1 vehicles are painted yellow.
In pop culture
A surrealistic thriller titled KontrollKontroll
Kontroll is a Hungarian comedy-thriller released to theatres in 2003. Shown internationally, mainly in art house theatres, the film is a darkly comic thriller set in a Hungarian Metro system....
was filmed in the M2 and M3 metro tunnels during 2002-2003. The movie has won several awards. The ironic beginning of the movie features Botond Aba, former CEO of BKV, who declares that all events and locations shown in the film are purely fictional.
