Comments on the VEKE writing of “Analysis of the additional sections of metro line 4”

The above writing was posted on the website of VEKE (Urban and Suburban Transportation Association) on 6th July, when it was made public that the bringing forward of the Flower market extension and postponing of the two stations of the Thököly road section of metro 4 are investigated.
Briefly we describe the advantages, which are resultant of the earlier handover of the west extension (section III.).

Before the metro passengers arriving from the agglomeration get to the district centre, where the inner network can be reached, on the routes of Budaörsi road – Nagyszőlős street – Kosztolányi D. square and respectively Villányi road – Móricz Zs. circus. Characteristic of these trips is that that majority of them are going towards the city centre through the inner network, and a smaller proportion is going towards the area of district XI. For us the district centre is not a priority, functions operating there are available for the people at the place of their residence as well. These trips now, in the period before the handover of the metro, are taking place in extremely adverse circumstances. During the morning rush hours, tailbacks on Budaörsi road stretch well over the city boundary, the motorway approach at the Budaörs Károly Király road junction, the Balatoni road on the Tétényi plateau. Congestions continue in the city along Alkotás road and Bocskai road. In the afternoon when leaving the city, the situation is somewhat better, but the opportunity of continuous advancing is seldom. Busses can cover the section often in 25 to 30 minutes instead of the 10 to 15 minutes as per their timetable. Bus lane may be provided across a worth-while length on one section of the inner Budaörsi road only with one ore two short extensions of 100 to 200 m.
The first section of metro 4 relieves approximately half of the difficultly travelable routes by that that it sets the option of connecting to the inner network from the district centre out to the west side of the Kelenföldi railway station metro final stop. Across the inner section the increase of travel time ensued from the congestions is ceased. From the transfer point to the district centre a reliable travel time of 4 to 5 minutes may be achieved.
But the other half of the congestion section can be relieved by the Flower market extension only. By this time, people can get from the city boundary to the district centre in 10 minutes and to the city centre in 15 minutes.
A similar saving is ensured by section II. for the trips of the Gazdagréti residential area. In addition - today yet inestimable number of – extra passengers may occur from the recently fast developing parts of the area (Hosszúrét, Madárhegy) over the Budaörsi road. From these parts, car is the only option for getting anywhere, but the proximity of a rapid rail may give stimulus to a higher rate of modal change.
Interesting points of the VEKE statement are that it deems the extensions of both directions unnecessary and harmful, while for years its biggest complaint against metro 4 was that it would not take part in the serving of outer areas. We presume to have discovered a discrepancy in that that while for all passenger traffic estimations associated with metro 4 it calculates with the current surface traffic only, but for developments preferred by it (tram lines, Gödöllő HÉV – metro 2 connection, connections of metro and MÁV lines) expects significant traffic increase everywhere. Moreover in order to demonstrate utilization it increases the calculable capacity of the metro by 25 %.
The most interesting, however, is the way VEKE treats metro 4 as opposite to their development ideas. The same method, which is disapproved by it for metro 4, is used for solutions preferred by it, though.
It demonstrates for metro 4 that restraining the Újpalota busses at Bosnyák square causes what loss to the passengers. However, for the proposal of connecting HÉV and metro 2 it shows in numbers that how many busses would be saved by cutting back busses on Kerepesi road and diverting their passengers to the metro.
The writing posted on the website says that because from the Zugló section of metro 4 only 35 thousand passengers travel further on section I., it is not worth building the Zugló section. But it deems worthy building the HÉV – metro connection, although only 12 thousand passengers changes from HÉV to metro 2. Why are these 12 thousand passengers worth more than the triple as much Thököly road passengers?
There is a similar special approach at the Buda side, as well. It deems the Flower market extension unnecessary, because as to their view for the 75 thousand passengers estimated at operation start it is not necessary to build a metro. Nevertheless, for years they fought with all means for connecting metro 4 into the MÁV network, although it would not concern more than 20 thousand trips daily even with large goodwill, and that number is less than one third of the Flower market passengers’.
Passenger numbers and calculation of travel times despite their disputability – for better comparison – were taken unchanged from the writing of VEKE.
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According to our position, metro 4 fulfills its real role, if it would be completed from south Buda to Rákospalota and for that realization of sections II. and III. is essential.