Have you always wanted to visit an intermodal terminal in the fast-growing rail freight hub of Budapest? On 1 December 2023, a site visit to METRANS Budapest-Csepel Terminal (BUCS) is scheduled. This is part of our annual European Silk Road Summit 2023, which also takes place in Budapest this year.

The terminal is situated on Csepel island, created by the river Danube at the heart of the Hungarian capital. It is an important hub on the New Silk Road. With stable connections to and from Poland it serves markets in the Balkan region, such as Romania and Serbia.

Silk Road hub

Budapest has become a very strong hub over the years, explains Martin Koubek, Director of New Silk Road at Metrans. In China, they know how to find it and this helps a lot.” Indeed, the presence of Chinese companies is apparent in and around the Hungarian capital. A lot of Chinese firms have set up their European offices in the area over the past few years. Once a city is ‘on the map’ in China, this has a domina effect, logistics people often say.

As a hub on the New Silk Road, Budapest mostly serves as a consolidation point for trains that entered the EU via Poland, or exit via Poland towards China. The connection between Poland-Hungary is a solid one and from Budapest, cargo finds its way to the Balkan and CEE region. But it is not only a hub for China-Europe traffic. “Budapest also serves as a hub in the direction of the Adriatic Sea and North Sea ports”, adds Koubek.

Operating at full capacity

Metrans started operating the terminal in 2017. It has six sidings of 650 metres and 2 sidings of 500 metres. Here, six trains can be handled simultaneously. At the moment, however, the terminal is operating at full capacity. “There are expansion plans, but Metrans is also constructing two new terminals in Hungary to alleviate the pressure of the hub in Budapest”, says Koubek.

One of these terminals will be located in Szeged, near the borders with Romania and Serbia and another in Zalaegerszeg, near the Hungarian borders with Austria and Slovenia. While the new terminal in Szeged is to form a new gateway for Balkan traffic, the terminal in Zalaegerszeg will form a node on the Adriatic corridor. Both are under construction and expected to be operational in 2025. “With these two additions, the company will be able to soon rely on three facilities in Hungary. Countries in Southeastern Europe are experiencing dynamic growth. Therefore, new logistics solutions are required”, Metrans’ CEO Peter Kiss said in an earlier interview.

Join us in Budapest

Do you want to see the Budapest-Csepel Terminal for yourself? Join us at the European Silk Road Summit 2023 in Budapest. In order to join the site visit, you must register upfront. You can add the site visit to your event registration in the registration form.