MÁV plans to procure at least 35 new InterCity electric multiple units after Hungary secured access to EU funding under a EUR 16.4bn agreement.
The planned fleet would be double-deck InterCity EMUs. According to Vitézy, the capacity would be broadly equivalent to around 200 existing InterCity coaches, giving MÁV a sizeable replacement programme for long-distance passenger services.
The trains are intended for Hungary’s main InterCity corridors, including Budapest–Debrecen–Nyíregyháza–Miskolc, Budapest–Szeged and Budapest–Pécs. The fleet is expected to be air-conditioned and accessible.
Vitézy linked the procurement to Hungary’s access to EU funds and said the financing would allow the government to restart new long-distance rolling stock purchases after several years without new InterCity train orders.
He also criticised the previous suspension of MÁV’s InterCity train procurement in late 2022 and connected the current service problems to rolling stock shortages and limited availability of existing coaches.
