BKV

BKV (Budapesti Közlekedési Zrt.; Mass Transport co. ltd. of Budapest – the abbreviation BKV stands for its earlier name Budapesti Közlekedési Vállalat; Mass Transport Company of Budapest) is the unified public transport company of the city of Budapest, the capital of Hungary. The Mass Transport Company of Budapest operates 3 metro, 4 HÉV, 30 tram, 15 trolley bus and 258 bus lines.^[1]

Road vehicle operation

An Ikarus 405 bus

The city-owned BKV runs an extensive network of surface mass transportation, with the emphasis on buses. The dark blue liveried bus fleet includes 1457 vehicles on 215 routes and the trolleybuses in red livery are operated on 14 lines. The night service is provided exclusively by buses. The articulated bus is a hallmark of Budapest; both diesel and ETB bendy vehicles have been running since the late 1950s and still form the majority of BKV's fleet.

In recent years, the bus service has been increasingly plagued by traffic jams as car use has increased and the narrow, congested streets of Budapest rarely allow for separate bus-lanes. Many motorists ignore bus-lane markings anyway, while few traffic lights fast-gate buses. The lamentable road conditions in Budapest incur continually high vehicle maintenance costs and inconvenience for bus passengers. Working conditions (esp. the age of the vehicles) and competitive wages are a serious issue as bus drivers are often lured to the trucking industry. Yet, the city council traditionally favours a bus service, owing to its flexibility and lower initial costs; some 150 brand new articulated buses were procured in 2004-2006.

Service on tracks

Terminus of Gödöllő commuter railway

BKV operates 27 city tram lines and 4 commuter railway lines into the suburban agglomeration. The once-extensive network of tram tracks and the brown striped yellow streetcars were a characteristic of Budapest, but the network was curtailed after the fall of Communism, owing to lack of funding. Line 4-6 is still the largest capacity tram-line in Europe. The streetcar and cogwheel railway services are now set to have a renaissance as there is no further road capacity for bus lanes in Budapest. Financing is being sought from the EU to help replace the more than 40-year-old rolling stock, starting with new 54-meter long Siemens Combino Supra giants intended for the 4-6 line.

The underground railway network is less extensive, including two full-sized metros (red M2, running roughly east-west and blue M3, north-south) utilizing Soviet technology, and the MFAV (or Földalatti), a small-sized underground tramway, which is over 100 years old. A third full-sized metro (M4) should be completed by 2011, as well as a high speed rail link to Ferihegy BUD international airport, which is currently served by bus from the end of the M3 metro line. – See the main article Budapest Metro. In 2005 a "BEB" monthly pass was introduced for a 10% extra cost over the regular price, which permitted the use of the MÁV national railway lines within the city area, effectively increasing the tracked service for BKV's passengers. Since 2009, all monthly (and 15-day) passes, now called a "Budapest Pass", are valid on the national railway and suburban bus lines within city boundaries.

Passenger statistics

As of 2009, approximately 54% of the passenger traffic in Budapest, a city of 1.7 million inhabitants, is still carried by BKV vehicles, with the remaining 46% using private vehicles. During 2003 a total of 1.4 billion people travelled by BKV. During the Socialist era, Budapest had 2 million residents and its public vs. private transport ratio (the so-called modal split) was 80% : 20% in favor of mass transit. This ratio was a result of artificial restriction: COMECON rules did not allow Hungary to produce private cars domestically and Lada / Skoda / Trabant car imports were never enough. (After the Iron Curtain fell, a large number of second hand cars were imported from Austria and Western Europe, leading to rapid private motorisation of Budapest's streets.)

Funding

Cogwheel railway motor car

Since the fall of communism BKV has been constantly plagued by a lack of funding and its fleet is becoming obsolete; as of October 2009 the average BKV diesel bus is 16,5 years old and the oldest one of the 1400 strong fleet is 24 years old, with 3,5 million kilometers to its track record. BKV operates on a net-loss basis; state-mandated ticket prices cover less than 50% of running costs. The state circumvents EU regulations by failing to fully compensate the BKV company for operating costs and amortization, and so funds for new vehicles are scarce. BKV has survived by selling off some of its old garage and repair bases for mall and housing development.

In 2004-2006, 150 low-floor Volvo 7700A articulated buses were acquired via a long term leasing agreement from Volvo Polska, to provide a replacement service during months of extensive reconstruction work on the M2 underground line and the lengthy 4-6 tram line. This batch of 150 Volvos represents the first significant new addition to BKV's fleet in five years. A contract has been signed about buying a single large batch of new underground railway trains from Alstom, at considerable discount, for the M4 line (under construction) and the refurbished M2 line. The first trains for M2 have already arrived, but are not in service due to some adaptation problems.

Usage

BKV uses a paper-based system of tickets and passes; a 32-euro pass allows an adult to travel on any BKV vehicle for one month. There are plans to introduce smartcard passes and tickets within a few years, in an attempt to reduce fare evasion (by approximately 10% of passengers).

See also the usage of the Budapest Metro.

People with disabilities

Entrance to the underground

Underground station at the Hungarian Opera House

Only a growing minority of regular BKV vehicles are accessible to disabled people (e.g. IK-412 diesel and ETB low-floor buses, Solaris ETB buses, Volvo articulated buses and a few stations of the MFAV underground tram line). There are a few small-sized BKV buses, which can be called by phone to transport a person using a wheelchair. The M4 metro line will have public elevators installed in every station. The current M2 and M3 metro stations only have escalators.

Currently available regular service line with handicapped compatible low-floor vehicles:

Bus lines

• full time service: 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 15, 16, 26, 40, 41, 50, 58, 59, 59A, 73, 78, 81, 85, 86, 88, 103, 106, 114, 120, 147, 150, 153 (red), 156, 170 (red), 200, 250, Ferenc, Palota, Újhegy
• occasional on weekdays, complete service on weekend: 51, 60, 61, 139
• complete service on weekend: 41 (red), 62, 96 (red), 130
• occasional: 3, 17, 30, 32, 38A, 40 (red), 42, 54, 55, 61E (red), 67, 87, 87A, 105, 138, 151, 185, 187, 194
• occasional on weekdays: 72

Trolleybus lines

• 70: full time
• 74, 76, 78: occasional, one LF vehicle per half hour or one hour

Tramway (streetcar)

• 4: full time
• 6: full time, but during rush hours, Ganz trams also doing the service, until the setup of the air conditioning to the Combinos is finished
• MFAV: The two termini are equipped with wheelchair lifts, which have proved impractical and unpopular. The Station Deák tér has ramps to the outside.

From the introduction of the new timetable (September 6) almost all bus line will have some low-floor vechicles.

Description of major vehicle types used by BKV

Buses

A Volvo bus in Budapest

All buses in Budapest run on diesel fuel.

• Ikarus 260: Domestically produced, 11 meters (36 ft) long, entirely high-floor buses; age of fleet between 15 and 21 years. Considered the "workhorse", it negotiates poor road conditions easily, but passengers suffer a lot of noise and vibration from the under-floor mounted engine.

• Ikarus 263: Hungarian made, 12 meters (39 ft) long, entirely high-floor buses. A longer and more modern version of Ikarus 260. They are owned by VT-Transmann and operated on some South-Eastern small-volume routes in a private venture, but for regular fee.

• Ikarus 280: Articulated version of the IK260; age of fleet between 14 and 21 years. Some of the fleet were entirely rebuilt in 1997 and painted in red-blue livery for use on 7-173 express routes.

• Ikarus 405: Two-door, 7.3 meters (24 ft) long, partially low-floor minibuses for weight-restricted routes, such as the Castle District and Gellért Hill. The design is generally regarded as a failure, with a cramped passenger compartment. Equipped with fragile independent front suspension, it is prone to roll, but is still expected to run on hilly routes, for lack of a replacement. IK405 vehicles have tilted, 3 shade green striping painted at the front.

• Ikarus 412: Locally-manufactured, 12 meters (39 ft) long, entirely low-floor buses; age of fleet between 8 and 10 years. The type is a serious failure, manufactured during the final decline of the Ikarus company; literally no two vehicles are identical in the 412 fleet. Several engine compartment fires forced BKV to rebuild the propulsion cells and the chassis is still prone to fracture. Suffers from narrower rear door and gangway. All the 412 are painted in a light shade of blue.

• Ikarus 415: Locally-manufactured, 11.4 meters (37 ft) long, entirely high-floor buses, age of fleet between 15 and 21 years. Their rear-mounted DAF diesel engines are famous for their terrible roar, scaring passers-by, but the cab is quieter. The reduced size of their rear passenger door of the later models is can cause problems during peak hours. These vehicles have tilted, 3 shade green striping at the front.

• Ikarus 435: Locally-manufactured, 17.9 meters (59 ft) long articulated version of Ikarus 415; age of fleet between 13 and 15 years. Initially equipped with pusher-type articulated drive, they suffered a lot of technical problems and still struggle with chassis weaknesses. They are generally liked by passengers, as their 735 mm (28.94 in) high floor is lower than the Ikarus 200 series' 960 mm (3 ft) very high floor level. These vehicles have tilted, 3 shade green stripes at the front.

• Volvo 7700A: Polish made 17.9 meters (59 ft) long bendy buses, based on Swedish B7LA chassis. Considered a technological marvel by experts for cramming four double doors and a usable gangway into a fully low-floor vehicle with vertically mounted engine. Current fleet of 150 arrived in three batches of fifty in 2004/2005/2006; the latest model is extremely advanced. Some passengers does not like it that much and consider them slower running than high-floors, because of the many EU-mandated security features and the appaling road quality. During the service years they became liked vehicles because of their higher comfort level and quietness. All of them are air conditioned (the first 50 was equipped by AC later), which is unique to this type among BKV's bus fleet.

• Van Hool AG300: Dutch-made 18 meters (59 ft) long articulated bus. The AG300 is a special type of fully low-floor buses - the engine is located between the first and the second axles, so the third axle can be steered. 32 of them were bought by BKV in the summer of 2009 to ease the lack of modern vehicles. They were built at 2000-2001 and used in Brussels. At BKV they were equipped by AC, but despite the plans they weren't painted blue yet, they run with their original color (some of them are yellow, others are silver). They seem massive enough for appaling roads, but their mechanical conditions are poor so they aren't reliable at all^{[citation needed]}. Passengers noticed them for narrow inner space of the fore part, although the back has rather a large standee place.

• MAN SL 223: Turkish-German made, 12 meters (39 ft) long, entirely high-floor buses with an age of 7 years. They are owned by VT-Transman and operated on some South-Eastern small-volume routes in a private venture, but for regular fee.

• Alfabusz-Volvo Localo: Hungarian made 12.5 meters (41 ft) buses with partially low-floor floor combination, based on a Swedish Volvo B7RLE chassis. They are massive and running fast enough but many passengers don't like it because of the extreme high rear section. They are not owned by BKV but by subcontractors, Nógrád Volán and VT-Transman.

• Other types:

Mercedes-Benz Citaro owned by Volánbusz

Volvo 7700A owned by Volánbusz

King Long XMQ6121G owned by Volánbusz's subcontractors, T&J Limited and Kontakt-Busz Limited.

Nógrád Volán and VT Transman are BKV's subcontractors run some routes by their own vehicles, but those vehicles have blue-grey painting like BKV's, and they are completely integrated in BKV system. Volánbusz or its subsubcontractors runs suburban lines. But they are members of Budapest Transport Organization (BKSZ), so their lines can be used by regular tickets inside the city (300s, 600s, 700s, 800s and 2000s lines).

Trolleybuses

An older trolleybus ZiU

• ZiU-9: These 11,8 meter (39 ft) Soviet-made vehicles have partial semi-low floor at the rear. The fleet is 23–29 years old and suffers from rust as well as degraded insulation of the electric drive system. These vehicles are not allowed to run in humid weather after a series of incidents in 2005, where crew or passengers received minor electric shocks.

• Ikarus 280T: ETB version of the IK-280 diesel articulated bus; most have been rebuilt with transistorized propulsion.

• Ikarus 435T: ETB version of the IK-435 diesel articulated bus. After cutbacks in ETB route lengths, there is a relative surplus of this fleet, but they don't fit the ZIU-9's assigned routes, so they must stand idle a lot^{[citation needed]}.

• Ikarus 411/412T: Trolleybus version of the above-mentioned IK-412 diesel buses. Limited fleet, resulting from the collapse of Ikarus and BKV's lack of funds during late-90's.

• Solaris Trollino: Polish-made fully low-floor 12 meter (39 ft) buses designed as genuine ETB vehicles. Scored surprisingly well on bad Budapest roads, but the fleet is limited: BKV operates only 16 of them. Following the fiscal collapse of Transelektro Group, the local co-manufacturer. the delivery of the 2nd series was delayed for several months.

Trams

Present fleet

• ICS: Abbreviation of Ipari Csuklós (English: Industrial Articulated), built by Ganz between 1967 and 1978 in Hungary, 26 meters (85.3 ft) long, high-floor, double-articulated, 8 axle tram. Almost every time they run single, but at the Grand Boulevard coupled. Similarly narrow-bodied as the UV type, they can be used on any BKV tram route.^[2]

• KCSV-7: 30 of the 150 ICS has been re-bodied and rebuilt by Ganz-Ansaldo between 1996 and 1999, with passenger compartment heating and modernized engines. KCSV stands for Közúti Csuklós Villamos or Korszerűsített Csuklós Villamos (English: Articulated Tram for Public Road or Modernized Articulated Tram)^[3]

Tram 2 at the Danube

• ČKD Tatra T5C5: Made in Czechoslovakia from 1978 to 1984, 14.7 meters (48.23 ft) long, high-floor trams . They either run in pairs or triples depending on demand. They are comfortable but their wider superstructure limits the lines they can serve. Some were rebuilt with better electronics in the early 2000s.^[4]

• Düwag TW 6000: Manufactured in West Germany bewtween 1972-1973, very high floor trams, purchased in 2002 refurbished from the city of Hannover. These 27 meters long (89 ft) vehicles only run as singles and are noted for their extremely quiet run (which did cause some minor accidents initially). Originally designed to serve as light-rail trains, the TW6000 vehicles have a variable door-well feature, which could serve tram stops in a step-free entry configuration. This feature is much appreciated by pregnant mothers and the elderly, but so far no money has been found to build the elevated platforms required to support it.^[5]

• Siemens Combino Supra: Redesigned (constructed of steel instead of the originally proposed aluminium) version of the previously controversial Combino, made in 2005-2007 in Austria, fully ultra low floor trams of a special, 54 meters (177 ft) long, six module design (intended only for Budapest). With six modules, as of 2008, they are the longest passenger trams of the world. Currently servicing lines 4 and 6.^[6]

Former types

• UV, (Series "U", remote controlled "távVezérelt"): built domestically during 1954-1965, based on pre-WWII designs and without heating. These cars were quite popular among tram enthusiasts of the world. When BKV celebrated its 50 years of service, an elaborate "UV Day" parade was one of the items. They usually ran in pairs, or pairs sandwiching a trailer (some of which were built in 1939). These cars were narrower than many of the later types, so that they fit the whole network including some tunnels. Despite this, they were withdrawn as of 2008, as spare parts were no longer available.

Other trains

• Cogwheel Railway: 1970s era red carriages built by ABB of Austria are currently in service, but civil organizations are pushing for their replacement as well as the reconstruction of the entire track, which is unlikely to happen in near future, because of the cost.

• HÉV: East German built 60-70-80s era MX, MXa and MIXa vehicles, painted green, serve all the lines. They are comfortable but noisy and relatively slow, sometimes owing to track conditions. Because of highly flammable interior materials and poor braking effectiveness, the fate of the fleet is in limbo with the rail safety authority.

• MFAV: Domestically-built double-articulated carriages from 1973 run on this line. Loosely based on the above mentioned ICS tram technology, they feature three small carriages per set, in a fully low floor configuration. Unlikely to be replaced in the near future, MFAV vehicles are noted for high maintenance requirements, dictated by the cramped engine nacelles (needed to fit the tiny 100-year-old tunnel).

• Underground: Both M2 and M3 lines are served by 5- or 6-carriage trains of Soviet origin. These Mitisin Factory-built metro vehicles are noisy, consume too much electricity and show a lot of wear after 25+ years of service. A few were refurbished in 1998 but this did not significantly improve passenger comfort. BKV bought 37 Alstom Metropolis for the M2 and M4 lines. There are some problems about the delivery, but nowadays they can be seen at Örs Vezér Tere metro station running their first kilometers. Passengers can be travelled by them about December 2009.

Miscellaneous vehicles

• Massive yellow-blue trucks and orange-painted lorries are used by BKV to repair overhead wires. They are equipped with blue rotating lights and sirens and are thus authorized to ignore road traffic regulations when dealing with an emergency.
• Orange minivans and white Renault trucks are used to repair buses on site, these only have orange warning lights.

Livery and colors

BKV paints its vehicles different colors by type.

• Trams: yellow
• HÉV vehicles: green
• Trolleybuses: red
• Buses: blue

The five metro lines are marked on the map in different colours:

• M1: yellow
• M2: red
• M3: blue
• M4 (under construction): green
• M5 (planned): purple

The current livery of the M2 and M3 trains is blue (lighter shade than on buses), on M1 vehicles are painted yellow.

In pop culture

A surrealistic thriller titled Kontroll was filmed in the M2 and M3 metro tunnels during 2002-2003. The movie has won several awards. The ironic beginning of the movie features Botond Aba, former CEO of BKV, who declares that all events and locations shown in the film are purely fictional.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Transport (Budapest)

• BKV Rt.
• An awarded image of a new Combino tram
• Tram Travels: Budapest
• Troll photo: Budapest

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