Air purity

Effects of motor vehicle traffic connected to construction works

Full construction duration for each site (station) is up to about 11 months. This is the period, mostly the first 9 months, when the environment of transport routes will be exposed to increased air pollution. The muck transport and the supply of building materials will be ensured by heavy vehicles with diesel engine.

The object of such investigations concerned also the air pollution effect of the freight transport connected to metro construction works. It was thereby established to what extent freight traffic involved in metro construction can increase the existing degree of pollution in the peak hours of such traffic. In this period, up to 155 freight vehicles can be expected to travel along the mostly loaded transport routes, with the highest probable load on the following sections: Dombvri t, Budafoki t, Borszki t, Andor utca, Galvani utca, releasing road in South Buda, Etele t, Pzmny P. river embankment and Kerepesi t.

The conclusion is that along the transport routes the concentration increase of transport origin affecting the pedestrians moving on sidewalks with respect to the existing concentration can be ignored even in situations with the highest increase. However, on highly loaded transport sections the extent of exceeding limit values if added to the existing traffic pollution can be higher.

Dust will be produced on the construction sites. Former experience revealed that the settling dust is the type of pollution that will increase. This dust load appearing on a short term can reach limit values within a radius of 100 m. This load is temporary, however, complaints could be expected from this impact area.

In the period of metro construction there could be necessary to change surface traffic development, e.g. by road closure and diverting routes. This can be a source of pollution, too, especially when the continuous motion of vehicles is hindered.

Impact of Metro line 4 on air quality in the period of operation

Metro influence on air pollution will decisively appear in the transport system. In the area concerned there are plenty of other pollution sources, like heating both by civil population and public institutions, industrial sources and power plants, service activity etc. The calculations of expansion consider these sources at their base level.

In the years following the putting into operation of the new metro and along the sections investigated, a considerable improvement of the protection of air pollution can be expected with respect to the existing condition. This is mostly due to the improvement of specific emission values. In addition, air quality will be further improved following metro construction.

• Lower short-term maximum NOx concentrations of up to 33% will be measurable along the route than before metro construction, except for Karolina t and Karinthy F. t, where it will be unchanged, as well as the Buda side exit of the Erzsbet bridge, where a slight increase of concentration is forecast.
• As for CO concentrations, short-term maximum concentrations of up to 10% are expected along the route with respect to the values measured prior to metro construction, except for section 3 above, where the concentration will be unchanged or slightly increasing.
• The bus and freight traffic representing a rich pollution source will be lower following metro construction, in general terms, but it could be much lower at several sites. Exceptions are the sections Mzeum krt. - Szabadsg bridge, where it will be unchanged, or Karinthy t and Cskvr u., where it could slightly increase. The most important reduction in bus and freight traffic is forecast on the line of bus group 7.
• In the assessment of the environmental impacts of Metro 4 it should be considered that the metro will be constructed in the first place for solving transport difficulties rather than for the reduction of air pollution. The fact that the project will additionally diminish air pollution is only a secondary favourable impact.

Health effects

The construction of Metro 4 will have quite significant benefits on the population's health. The reduction of maximum concentration extents and frequencies, as well as that of the direct impact area, will have a positive influence on the health status of those living in that area. This will result, in the first instance, in the reduction of acute and chronic respiratory diseases among the sensitive population (children, aged people), as well as the improvement of the condition of sick persons.