János Lázár, Construction and Transportation Minister, has outlined a ten-point pledge to improve public transport at a press conference on Wednesday.
Lázár said passengers will be eligible for a 50pc refund of the amount they paid for their ticket for a train or bus service that is delayed by 20 minutes or more. Passholders will be eligible for a 10pc discount off the next pass they purchase if the train or bus service they use is delayed on five or more occasions, he added.
Refunds will be paid automatically to passengers with the MAV application and at ticket counters for those with paper tickets.
By January 1, 2026, all WC facilities at train and bus stations will be renovated, he said. There will be a charge to use the facilities for people who are not passengers, he added.
From April 1, cleaning staff will work on InterCity trains around the clock while in service, he said.
MAV group will procure 1,000 new buses, including 500 in 2024 and 500 in 2026, bringing the average age of the 6,000-vehicle fleet down to 7-8 years.
By the summer of 2026, half of MAV locomotives will be upgraded. Procurement of 40 electric and 15 diesel locomotives will take place in 2025 and another 15 electric locomotives will be purchased in H1 2026.
By the end of 2025, 100 carriages, mostly for IC trains, will be overhauled. Most will be put back into service by the summer. A tender will be called to procure a further 285 carriages with a value of HUF 330bn.
The domestic service of regional railway company GySEV, in which the state now holds a controlling stake, will be expanded.
Summer train service will be supplemented with buses, and passengers will be informed before they travel whether their trains or buses have air conditioning.
The MAV mobile application will be upgraded from April 2025 with "delay insurance".
Lázár noted that 9.7m passes had been sold in 2024, up from 6.6m in 2023, with the rollout of a new tariff system.
Fielding questions, he affirmed that the four train stations in the capital would be renovated with private capital. The state will hold 25pc stakes in the project companies for the upgrades and will retain ownership of the area, he added.
He said railway upgrades with a value of HUF 880bn could start this year financed with EIB credit and budget resources. That could be complemented with HUF 300bn-400bn of EU funding, he added.