Budapest Xperience

The Budapest Metro is the metro system in the Hungarian capital Budapest. It is the second-oldest underground metro system in the world, and its iconic Line 1 (dating from 1896) was declared a World Heritage Site in 2002.

It consists of three lines, each designated by a number and a colour. Metro Line 4 is currently under construction; the first section is to begin operation in 2011. A fifth line has also been included in medium to long-term plans.

General information
Currently, the only meeting point of the lines is Deák tér, however, forthcoming lines are to have other transfer stations: M4 will cross the M2 and M3 lines at different stations.

Tickets have to be validated at the entrance with the orange-coloured machines before taking the escalator, and must be retained until leaving the metro. At validation, the current date and time is printed on tickets along with station information. Tickets are checked manually by the pass controllers, who usually turn up at stations near the escalators, but they may inspect tickets anywhere within the metro area; tickets or passes must be handed over to them on request.

None of the stations of either lines 2 or 3 has yet been made accessible for people with motion disabilities or parents with pram, including recently renovated stations. Line 4 will have stations accessible from the street level by elevators, but people in wheelchairs won’t be able to use the underpasses when crossing a street. On line 1 (Millennium Underground) there are only three stations suitable for wheelchair users.

Travel rules are almost the same for all transport vehicles of BKV, and are available at the website of the transport company. These deal with the age and health state of travellers, size of luggage (some chemicals are prohibited), transportation conditions for dogs (ticket/pass, muzzle and lead are required), prohibition of smoking, eating and playing music, the accident insurance provided with the ticket, and the conditions for its use.

Types of tickets and passes
There is a single ticket (as of 2009, 300 HUF), valid for a single ride (no transfers) on any metro line or other public transport in Budapest. There are further tickets available specifically for the metro: a section ticket for up to three stops, a transfer ticket for a trip with one transfer, and a section transfer ticket for up to five stops including one transfer.
Inside M2.

Except for the section ticket (which is valid for 30 minutes) and single tickets on Metro 1 (also valid for 30 minutes), all tickets are valid for 60 minutes, within Budapest. Passes are also available for one day, 3 days, one week, two weeks, 30 days or a year, and discount packs containing ten tickets. A Budapest Card is often recommended for tourists, enabling free public transport in Budapest, but it is only worthwhile if one intends to visit lots of sights and take part in many programmes within the given two or three days.

Working hours and frequency
The Budapest Metro trains start running at 4:30 in the morning, and the last train leaves at 11:10 p.m. from the terminus. The rush hours are between 6 and 8 a.m. and between 2 and 5 p.m. on workdays, when trains run every two or three minutes. Early morning and night trains run every 10 or 15 minutes. On Christmas Eve (December 24) trains usually run only until about 3:00 in the afternoon, and may also stop running early on other holidays, as advertised beforehand. Service time may be extended on New Year’s Eve.

More