HUNGARY: China Railway Signal & Communication has set up a facility in Hungary to test the ETCS Level 2 signalling system it is deploying on the Budapest – Beograd railway line as a subcontractor, national railway group MÁV announced on August 15.
CRSC is currently testing the equipment and simulating real life conditions of the stations and plain line between Budapest and Kelebia on the Serbian border.
The project includes the establishment of a central traffic control system and the deployment of level crossing signalling, switch machines, rail-mounted axle counters and other lineside elements of ETCS Level 2.
CRSC is using its CTCS Level 3 equipment, which is based on ETCS Level 2, to deploy the signalling on both sides of the border. While the Serbian section of the route will be capable of 200 km/h operation with all level crossings eliminated, the Hungarian portion will be limited to 160 km/h with several level crossings retained.
CRSC has widely used its technology in China and internationally on fully segregated routes, but due to the retained level crossings the Hungarian section will need to be interfaced with a new signalling and train control system. It would also be CRSC’s first reference for the EU market.
The railway authority of Hungary’s Ministry of Construction & Transport issued a construction permit for the equipment last year. It said on August 14 that ‘the route reconstruction will be handed over with a modern Chinese electronic interlocking equipment that complies with EU regulations. […] The interlocking equipment will be constructed in accordance with the relevant domestic and EU requirements and certifications.’
Minister of Construction & Transport János Lázár announced on August 13 that the Hungarian section of the Budapest – Beograd corridor would reopen in January 2026 following modernisation. Three pairs of international trains will run daily between the two capitals, using ‘very high-quality vehicles’, and would only stop at Kiskunhalas in Hungary.
- Dig deeper: read our feature article on the progress of ETCS deployment in Hungary in the September 2025 issue of Railway Gazette International.
