The fourth metro line of Budaest was opened to the public in the presence of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Mayor of Budapest István Tarlós. Passengers were entitled to use Metro Line 4 free of charge on the day of the handover ceremony, and for two more days (until 30th March 2014, till the end of day shift. The 7-km-long metro line is connecting Kelenföld railway station with Keleti railway station.
- It feels almost unbelievable for me saying that it is finally completed, and it gives us great pleasure to hand over the Metro Line 4 to the public. Budapest has been waiting for this day a long time, more than you would suppose, more than 40 years, said Viktor Orbán in his speech.It feels almost unbelievable for me saying that it is finally completed, and it gives us great pleasure to hand over the Metro Line 4 to the public. Budapest has been waiting for this day a long time, more than you would suppose, more than 40 years, said Viktor Orbán in his speech.
Mayor Tarlós called the newly opened metro line one of Hungary's biggest investment projects over the past few decades and more "a result of chaotic preparations, then serious efforts”. The idea of building the line had been raised first in the 1970’s, he emphasized. He also emphasized that the new city leadership, which took office in 2010, had to face a challenging struggle in order to correct prior agreements of the metro line, left incomplete by the previous leadership, and practically to “revive, save and complete the project”. We have only set out one deadline for the handover, the spring of 2014, and with the consistent support of the current government we did keep to it, he stressed.
Further details about the line M4
The Metro Line is 7.3 km long, consists of ten stations. The two separate tunnels of the fourth line start off from the final station on the Buda side, the Kelenföld railway station and stop at Bikás park, Újbuda-központ, Móricz Zsigmond körtér, Szent Gellért tér, Fővám tér, Kálvin tér, Rákóczi tér, II. János Pál pápa tér, and finally at Keleti pályaudvar railway station. The metro line’s 15 vehicles, each with four single spaced wagons, are controlled automatically.
