Technical University Quay is Opened to Traffic

After over two years, the quay in front of the Technical University is reopened to traffic, as the surface works of the construction of M4 are largely completed. Parallel, the construction of the metro line underneath continues according to programme.

As stated by DBR Metro Project Directorate, the construction of the Szent Gellért tér station box was completed during spring, the contractor then closed the openings on top, and thus it was possible reinstate the surface. Though public areas of 60 sq metres in the square, one on the river side and the other at side of the university, will be closed until the end of the project, which will not hinder vehicle traffic; thus traffic can be restarted in the 2x1 lanes.

The quay had been closed at the end of May 2009, because Pest-side tunnelling was supplied from here. From that time, north-south vehicle traffic was borne by the roads Budafoki út and Bartók Béla út.

According to plans, a part of the area closed off at Baross tér (square) will also be reopened for vehicle traffic in a short while. Built to fulfil the function of a temporary terminus, the structure of the so-called turn-out has also been completed, allowing for the road building works to be finished, too, and so currently negotiations are under way with the authorities on the conditions of handing over to traffic. Following this, 2x1 lanes and a bus lane will be open to vehicle traffic on the section of Thököly út (road) between the streets Bethlen Gábor utca and Verseny utca; however, diversions will continue at Keleti pályaudvar (Eastern Railway Station).

The final shape of the surface will only be completed at the end of 2012 or the beginning 2013, as the construction of M4 is completed; however, DBR is making every effort to reopen as many areas it had closed off as possible. The worksite in front of the circle of houses in Móricz Zsigmond körtér (circus) is expected to be dismantled at the end of 2011; the areas closed off at Fővám tér will also decrease as pavements and decorative coverings are completed. The part of Kálvin tér on the side of Ráday utca will also be opened this year.

Parallel to the parts handed over, underground works continue as per programme. On the Buda side, the station structures are complete, and fit-out has commenced. The first escalators have already been delivered to the Tétényi út station, and the installation of power systems has also begun at several sites. In the Buda-side stations, the covering of walls and floors and the installation of mechanical, glass and iron ware, and furnishings have begun.

The track has been laid up to Móricz Zsigmond körtér, the contractor progressing even 140 metres one day, but it had to stop briefly due to platform-level concreting by the fit-out contractor. The tracks are expected to reach the Danube in the second half of the year. The designs for the Pest-side track will be completed in September, and so track laying can begin there, as well.

The construction of the Kelenföld depot is well under way, the structure-builder, track-layer and systems-provider contractors working simultaneously. The vehicle sheds, the Control Centre, central building and the track maintenance shop are expected to be completed this year.

The Pest-side stations are delayed a few months; structures could not be finished partly because of the delay of tunnelling and partly because Bamco did not hand over the worksite as required by the contract, thus various additional works had to be carried out. However, these lesser delays will have no impact on final completion, because DBR, due to the delays in tunnel boring, is making every effort to have contractors do their work parallel. In this way, DBR believes the deadline of technical completion and the three-month test operation can be completed by mid-2013. Two major risks continue to be involved in the project; the legal dispute over the Alstom trains and the length of time testing requires. Though the programme has a three-month period for this, by international experience, similar lines can take 6 to 12 months of testing before being commissioned.

13 May 2011