Massive WW2 bomb causes transportation chaos in Budapest

The discovery of a massive, 500 kilogram bomb from World War II has essentially paralyzed much of Budapest’s 9^th district and has wrecked havoc throughout the city’s transportation network. Shortly after the unexploded bomb was discovered, a large section of Budapest’s downtown core was shut down completely to traffic and all residents within a one kilometer zone were evacuated. Residents were required to leave their apartments, stores were closed and all roads were cordoned off in this area, resulting in the evacuation 16,000 locals.

The evacuation of this part of the 9^th district-also referred to as Ferencváros-involved the suspension of all public transportation in the area, and the shutting off of electricity, gas and water. Those who relied on public transportation, provided by the BKV Zrt-Budapest’s transit authority-were often especially out of luck, as the corporation suspended one of its commuter train (HÉV) lines and the crucial 4-6 tram line-which forms the backbone of Budapest’s tramway system-did not stop at all stations. It is, however, well worth noting that BKV officials did increase service on one of the metro lines (M3-blue), in order to ensure that commuters affected by ground transportation cancellations and delays could still rely on the city’s underground. Those travelling by car also ended up experiencing major traffic jams, due especially to the closure of the Lágymányosi Bridge.

Thank you to Index for the initial reporting.