Mass transportation strike causes travel chaos in Hungary

A mass transport strike on the part of unions representing workers of the Budapest Transport Corporation (BKV Zrt), as well as employees of Hungarian State Railways (MÁV-START) all went on strike early this morning, bringing Hungary to a standstill. Those in Western regions of the county, especially near the border with Austria, however, may count themselves fortunate, as GYSEV, a regional train company that serves the largest cities in the country’s western counties, has confirmed that all of its trains will operate according to the regular schedule. Budapest, however, is very heavily effected, as service on all metro lines, trams, buses and the green commuter trains, known as the HÉV, have shut-down, due to the strike. Although the striking workers are expected to return their posts later in the afternoon, it will take well into the evening and possibly until tomorrow for the BKV and MÁV transportation networks to be fully operational again. Those travelling on trains operated by MÁV should expect delays, especially if they are departing from any of the four main railway stations in Budapest.

Travelling by coach may be the most effective option, for those looking to commute between cities in Hungary. Volán (www.volan.hu), Hungary’s state-owned coach operator, is fully operational, although major newspapers are warning passengers to expect crowded buses—with standing-room only on many intercity routes–and long queues at bus terminals.

BKV employees are demonstrating their opposition to the company’s plans to cut service on many bus and tram routes in Budapest by 10 percent. Railway workers joined the BKV strike in part out of solidarity, but also because they are demanding a pay raise of around 18 percent from the publicly owned passenger train operator.