GREEN METRO: Several billion forints spent on environment protection

Metro Line 4 will be a green metro not only in its colours. It can be said with good reason about the metro project, that it is a “green project” in its quality too. Not only for the reason that the newly constructed metro line itself brings about the improvement of several environmental factors (noise, smog, traffic jam), but also because particular attention has been paid to the environment protection as early as in the construction phase.

Several piece of news were published during the last few months in connection with the sports grounds of Őrmező. The area of these sports grounds will really be affected by the metro construction: three tennis courts will need to be moved to another place within the grounds. This means that three new tennis courts will be handed over by the metro builders in an area that was badly uncared before. Invitations for bid for the construction of the tennis courts have been issued and the finalisation of the owner’s contribution is under negotiation now. The old tennis courts will be demolished only after commissioning of the new ones. (The condition of the courts on the sports grounds is very bad as visible in the photographs taken two years before.)
The station construction has no effect on any of the soccer grounds at present, therefore these grounds will not be removed. The construction project, however, will affect the change-room building and the caretaker’s house, for which appropriate replacement will be provided to those concerned. Associated construction projects (lowered level coach station with noise control of the 21st Century standards, P+R car park, etc.) are also included in the plans, which also have an effect the area of the sports ground. Negotiations are in progress at present about them.
However, no sports grounds are included in the long-term arrangement design of the 11th District Local Government. This arrangement design was used by the metro builders as basis for the design of the associative construction projects. One of the major considerations, which were was kept in mind in the design work, was to provide comfortable and quick access to the metro for the inhabitants of Őrmező. They should not need to use their car, or should not need to walk for long if they wished to catch the trains of Metro 4 quickly.
No final decision has been made to this date yet about the sports grounds and the related construction projects. The design including the most appropriate solutions will be prepared with the use of the results of brainstorming competition. The decision is expected to take place in 2009. This timeframe will allow the formulation of a generally acceptable solution.
The builders of Metro 4 take care of trees.
A factor of key importance in the construction of the metro is the prevention of cutting protected trees, and again, the use of every possible means to avoid the cutting of non-protected ones and to cut trees on places only where it is definitely unavoidable. The builders may modify the construction process, if it is considered necessary, as done for Rákóczi Station, a part of which is constructed with the use of deep level construction methods, from “bottom up”, rather than from the surface, to avoid the necessity of cutting the protected plane trees. If, however, there is no way to modify the construction process, but the condition of the trees permits replanting, they are replanted to another place. Such an action took place, for example, at Köztársaság Square on 24 April. Horticultural professionals are invited to all construction sites to survey the condition of the trees and to save and protect those judged valuable. The thermal springs of Gellért Square, among others, have been put under careful surveillance.
Renewing quarters, more liveable and healthy town.

Not only a subsurface modernisation is brought about but several surface construction projects are also induced by the new metro line. The neighbours of all stations will be reconstructed and will become more attractive. The areas affected by the construction will be renewed and reconstructed and will be passed back to Budapest in a condition as expected in the 21st century. New city centres, aesthetical squares, P+R car parks, new green fields will be created on the trail the new metro line. Metro is the most environment saving means of the public transport. In addition to its contribution to the reduction of the surface motor traffic, the noise load and the harmful material emission from its operation is minimal. It accelerates and makes the city transport more comfortable and easier.