Hungary's MÁV moves to revive Dunakeszi rail repair plant amid coach shortage

Hungarian rail operator MÁV reported that a large number of its climate‑controlled InterCity coaches are immobilised at the Dunakeszi Vehicle Repair plant, which has been in bankruptcy for about a year. Transport and Investment Minister Vitézy David said the workshop, employing roughly 780 workers, holds dozens of IC coaches awaiting maintenance, threatening the reliability of the national rail service.

The state has repurchased the Dunakeszi facility with multi‑billion‑forint funding and is planning a rapid restart and capacity expansion. To cover the summer season while repairs are pending, MÁV has temporarily leased ten passenger coaches from Austria’s ÖBB. The minister highlighted that without this support, a quarter of MÁV’s fleet would be unable to operate during the peak travel period.

The crisis stems from earlier privatization and the collapse of a joint Egyptian‑Russian rolling‑stock project, which left the workshop under‑resourced and unable to conduct inspections. The government’s intervention aims to stabilise the rail network, safeguard jobs, and restore full service to routes such as the Balaton and Adriatic summer lines.