THE DBR STEPS UP THE INTENSITY OF THE COVERAGE OF THE METRO PROJECT FOR THE EU AND FOR THE RESIDENTS
Information of the EU on the project of the 4th line of the metro was also on the agenda of the today’s session of the Mayor’s Cabinet. The objective is to provide the decision makers in Brussels with accurate background information along with the financial and technical documentation of the application for grant. This information should cover the development plans, transport concept and individual projects of the Hungarian capital. The budget allocated by the DBR through the internal regrouping of expenses for multi-language publications, exhibitions in Brussels and Budapest and various professional conferences amounts to HUF 80 million, therefore this decision generates no excess costs.
THE SELECTION OF THE INDEPENDENT CONTROL ENGINEER IS IN PROGRESS
The DBR Metro Project Directorate maintains the view that the contractors of the 4th line of the metro may exclusively work under the guarantee of highest standards of safety and legality. By the stipulations of the contract concluded by and between the Metropolitan Municipality and the BKV Private Ltd. on investor’s tasks in Stage I of the project of the 4th line of the metro, BKV is liable to select, with the agreement of the Metropolitan Municipality, an independent control engineer to monitor project implementation and compliance with the investor’s decisions. This also figures among the specifications of the loan agreement between the Metropolitan Municipality and the European Investment Bank. The selection and specification of tasks of the independent control engineer under the financing terms modified to meet the conditions of bidding for the EU grant is currently underway.
THE DBR HAS BEEN COOPERATING WITH THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PHISICALLY HANDICAPPED PEOPLE FROM THE START OF THE PROJECT
The 4th line of the metropolitan will be truly obstacle-free because it must conform to the related EU specifications. On February 22nd 2008 the DBR Metro Project Directorate signed a memorandum of understanding with the Association of Physically Handicapped Residents of Budapest (MBE) to promote the forwarding of views and opinions of future handicapped passengers to the responsible experts of metro construction. This memorandum formalizes and tightens an existing relationship, because the competent specialists of the metro project invited the experts of physically handicapped residents to participate in the design of the metro.
THE EXPERT REPORT FORMING THE BASIS OF THE NEW IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE OF THE 4TH LINE OF THE METRO IS COMPLETED
THE END OF 2011 IS A REALISTIC EXPECTATION AS A DEADLINE OF COMPLETION OF TRIAL RUNS
The DBR Metro Project Directorate procured the preparation of the new realistic implementation schedule of the 4th line of the metro project in the light of engineering difficulties of the past months. According to this report counting on several months of delay accumulated in connection with the construction of the tunnel, the Fővám Square and Gellért Square stations the completion of the four month trial run by the end of year 2011 and the final deadline of handover of the metro line for passenger traffic are feasible, as declared earlier by the officials of the Metropolitan Municipality.
THE BAMCO CONSORTIUM IS TRYING TO PUT ON PRESSURE BY THREATS
In a letter addressed to the DBR Metro Project Directorate the tunnel builder BAMCO Consortium declared that it would temporarily suspend all works until its claims for the reimbursement of excess costs are fulfilled by the Investor. Following its earlier practice, the DBR will also cover henceforth all the legitimate claims for excess works that became necessary for reasons not imputable to the Contractor, but DBR will only accept legitimate and justified claims despite the ultimata. The Contractor shall carry responsibility for all legal and material consequences of unjustified stand-down.
LEAVE YOUR HANDPRINT ON THE BOARDING FENCE AT THE MÓRICZ ZSIGMOND CIRCUS TOO!
At the beginning of September the DBR Metro Project Directorate held a highly successful two-day event at the construction site of the Keleti Railway Terminus metro station. Nearly the thousand volunteers left their green handprints on the boarding fence of the construction site of the 4th line of the metro. Today, on October 17th, the Directorate will repeat this successful event at the new site.
NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY AND THE DBR IN THE MATTER OF THE „CH” BUILDING
The experts of the DBR Metro Project Directorate, the Engineer, the contractor, the representatives of the Consortium recording the building displacements, and also independent experts agreed today that the structural stability of Building „CH” of the Technical University is currently not under risk. The decision taken this morning is also about the acceleration of recovery of damages caused by metro construction, speeding up of remaining works on the St. Gellért Square metro station and intensification of monitoring of the condition of buildings.
THE METRO CONTRUCTION DOES NOT JEOPARDIZE BUILDING „CH” OF THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
The settlement of Building „CH” of the Technical University is lower than the threshold value expected by the experts based on the preliminary surveys. This statement has been confirmed by joint site visits of the parties carried out regularly since the start of the construction works. Settlement is the natural concomitant of civil engineering works carried out in the vicinity of old buildings and structures. In the case of the Technical University settlement has been reducing since the completion of work phases that impacted the building concerned, and subsidence has stabilized by now.
THE BAMCO CONSORTIUM RESUMES WORKS; THE ISSUE OF THE FŐVÁM SQUARE STATION IS SETTLED
Having reached a provisional agreement between the DBR Metro Project Directorate and the contractor, BAMCO Consortium gradually resumes working starting from the beginning of this week. The situation regarding the Fővám Square station will soon be settled, too; Hídépítő is about to submit the application for the modification of the construction license of the station. Along with the solution of the two technical difficulties the railway authority license for the second section of the 4th line of the metro has been granted.
THE NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE BAMCO CONSORTIUM ARE RESUMED
This morning the BAMCO Consortium temporarily stopped all works under the contract, moreover, they failed to meet their contractual obligation to mitigate damages: they suspended operations in the manner that hampers the progress of other contractors.
THE BACKING OF THE 4TH LINE OF THE METRO INTENSIFIES
By the results of the latest survey conducted at the end of September 2008 by the Marketing Centrum the support of the 4th line of the metropolitan among the residents of Budapest increased in six months from 80 to 84 per cent.
INTRODUCING THE 4TH LINE OF THE METRO AT THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
A stand introducing the 4th line of the metro is installed at the exhibition of the Professional Week for Civil Engineering held in the assembly hall of the Vásárhelyi Pál College of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.
THE BAMCO CONSORTIUM STILL CARRIES ON WORKING AT ALL CONSTRUCTION SITES
This morning BAMCO Consortium resumed works, but they failed to answer to the deadline the proposal regarding the settlement of the issue of excess costs made earlier by the DBR Metro Project Directorate. BAMCO announced instead that they would stop operations at all sites effective from Monday.
HUNDREDS ON THE STARTING-LINE ON SATURDAY FOR A CLEANER BUDAPEST
On September 20th 2008 the events of the Józsefváros Health Day took place the fourth time this year. This event of outstanding importance for the 8th district was organized on Mátyás Square in the heart of the Magdolna Quarter. This year the 4th line of the metro – the Green Line – was also represented at this event.
GRAFFITI WALL AT THE ETELE SQUARE AND NÉPSZÍNHÁZ STREET STATIONS OF THE 4TH LINE OF THE METRO
On September 19th 2008 Gábor Demszky, Mayor of the City of Budapest legitimized the boarding fence at the Etele Square and Népszínház Street stations of the 4th line of the metro as graffiti walls. From today on the boarding fences handed over as part of the anti-graffiti campaign are available for anybody to paint on them. The objective of the organizers of this action is to draw the attention of residents to the extraordinary damage graffiti cause to the image of the city and the raison d'être of artistic graffiti if warrantable under the law.
M4 FOOT RACE ON THE HEALTH DAY IN JÓZSEFVÁROS
The Mátyás Square in the heart of the Magdolna Quarter of the 8th district hosts the Józsefváros Health Day organized this year the fourth time. This is an impressive event, where the organizers offer colorful programs for those who value their health. This year the 4th line of the metro – the Green Line – was also represented at this event.
PANORAMIC IMAGES OF STATION CONSTRUCTION
A spectacular panoramic image of the Móricz Zsigmond Circus station has been prepared recently. It can be zoomed and rotated in all directions giving the impression of presence inside the giant engineering structure under construction.
SEE-SAW AT TWENTY METER DEPTH
The Ráday Culture Street (Culture Street) plans an extraordinary open-air theatre show at the Rákóczi Square station of the 4th line of the metro under construction. The show is to begin at 7.00 p.m. September 25th 2008, at depth well below 20 m.
M4 EXHIBITION IN THE PARK OF THE CITY HALL
An exhibition on the construction of the 4th line of the metro is opened this year again in the park of the City Hall. The series of giant billboards showing the routing of the metro line under construction will be on display until the end of October at the end of the park nearest to Gerlóczy Street (at the Merlin Theatre).
LEAVE YOUR HANDPRINT, TOO!
From 10 am to 16 pm on Friday 5th and Saturday 6th of September 2008 DBR Metro Project Directorate kindly invites you to the Baross Square to leave your handprint on the construction site of the Keleti Railway Terminus station of the 4th line of the metro.
BAMCO Consortium, the tunnel builder, is penalized
In its today’s decision the National Transport Authority (NTA) banned further works on the crossover tunnels at St. Gellért Square, thereby sharing the position of the DBR Metro Project Directorate regarding the tunnels. The tunnel builder BAMCO Consortium was condemned for unauthorized advance of works and levied a fine of HUF 1 million. NTA emphasized the correct and lawful procedure followed by Eurometro (Engineer) and DBR (Employer). In pursuance of this decision tunnel building works may only be resumed upon the approval of the construction plan; until then the contractor is liable to maintain adequate safety conditions.
New works of art on the boarding fences of construction sites
DBR Metro Project Directorate and the Théba Art Academy opened this morning the latest work of art created on the boarding fence of the construction site of the 4th line of the metro entitled “Community transport in Budapest then and now”. The painting forms part of the series of exhibitions and cultural events sponsored by the metro builders.
FROM 16 JUNE A SHORT SECTION OF THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY QUAY WILL BE CLOSED FOR TRAFFIC
The commencement of construction works of the inclined shaft to house the moving staircases of the Szent Gellért Square station of the 4th line of the metropolitan is harmonized with the construction of the main sewer in Buda. For the harmonization of the two projects a short section of the lower and upper quays on the Buda side between Bertalan Lajos Street and the Szent Gellért Square will be closed temporarily for traffic from 16 June to 20 August.
THE 4TH LINE OF THE METROPOLITAN RANKS AMONG PROJECTS OF AVERAGE OUTLAY GLOBALLY
Regarding the implementation budget the 4th line of the Budapest metropolitan ranks among the projects of average outlay in the world. The DBR Metro Project Directorate repeatedly calls attention to the fact that, due to the broad variations in the peculiarities, the individual metro projects are barely comparable, particularly for the layman, as it has been proven on a number of earlier occasions.
A SPECIAL DEDICATION PAINTED ON THE BOARDING FENCE OF THE CONSTRUCTION SITE IN KÁLVIN SQUARE
Art-school students painted a metro train on the boarding plank of the construction site of the Kálvin Square station of the 4th line of the metropolitan. The organizers of the Ráday Art Street, co-sponsored by the Municipality of Ferencváros, wish to publicize the events in this manner.
DUE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE INCLINED SHAFT OF THE SZENT GELLÉRT SQUARE STATION OF THE 4TH LINE OF THE METROPOLITAN A SHORT SECTION OF THE UPPER QUAY ON THE BUDA SIDE WILL BE CLOSED FOR TRAFFIC STARTING FROM 16 JUNE
The closure of the lower quay due to the construction of the main sewer on the Buda side did not cause major traffic jams, and no particular congestion of traffic is expected due to the temporary closing of traffic from 16 June to 20 August of the section of the Műegyetem (Technical University) Quay between Bertalan Lajos Street and Szent Gellért Square. For the passengers crossing this area this summer period is the most advantageous due to summer holidays and school break-up.
OPEN DAYS FOR VISITORS AGAIN: NOW AT THE CONSTRUCTION SITE OF THE TÉTÉNYI STREET STATION
The Tétényi Street station under construction of the 4th line of the metropolitan was open for visitors in the framework of the Újbuda Bikás Park May Picnic.
No risk presented by the breaking of ground occurred closed to Tétényi street
Engineers of metro 4 have checked the small surface breakings noted in the vicinity of Tétényi road metro station, which is under construction, but they mean no danger at all to nearby residents. Surface breaking occurred on January 22nd, 2008 was not significant and the defect was fixed yesterday.
No risk presented with omission of the main ventilation
It means no risk at all to omit a main ventilation structure of metro 4 previously intended between the Tétényi and Bocskai road stations to Petzvál street. Following a long and detailed scrutiny of the drawings, both the Engineer and Investor decided to replace some functions of the structure with separate engineering design alternatives.
International comparison is provided on metro projects
In the past days a document was issued comparing metro projects only in general, missing real technical parameters and based on several years old incorrect information. The professionals of DBR Metro Project Directorate know the international projects of course, and soon they intend to assist the press with a technical supporting document based on actual facts, because as we know now the project of metro 4 as being constructed in downtown circumstances with extremely adverse ground conditions belongs to the midfield in Europe in terms of the average costs of metro construction.
Why does metro 4 differ from the one in Mallorca?
The metro line of Palma de Mallorca costs one tenth of metro 4, although it is the same length and has the same number of stations – claims a writing full of fallacies and technical errors on the Internet.
While the two projects are hardly comparable, metro 4 costs significantly more – in fact 4 times more with constructions on the surface – due to the followings strictly from a technical point of view.
Metro 4 could be cheaper by 17 billion
A 2 billion Forint amount resulting from the omission of the main ventilation of metro 4 between Tétényi and Bocskai roads is part of the 17 billion cost reduction plan previously approved by the General Meeting of the Capital. With the omission of the ventilation in Petzvál street a playground formerly intended to be demolished will remain indeed.