Attention: Flood Alert Halts Trains Between Budapest and Vienna
The Hungarian railway company, MÁV, has issued a warning to passengers, urging them not to rely on their usual train travel routines and to stay updated on official announcements. The ongoing floods could significantly impact public transportation services.
MÁV-VOLÁN group is preparing for emergency measures in response to the flooding, providing continuous updates to the public. The transport provider advises travellers in flood- and storm-affected areas to closely follow updates through the MÁV website, MÁVINFORM’s Facebook page, the MÁV mobile app, and the Volánbüz website.
The extreme rainfall in Hungary’s river basins poses challenges not only for water management authorities but also for transport services. While rising rivers are the main concern, the intense rainfall, strong winds, and sudden storms are also causing issues such as fallen trees and damaged power lines, potentially leading to disruptions. MÁV personnel are in constant communication with authorities involved in flood management. In case of interruptions to the domestic railway network, replacement buses will be deployed in affected areas as needed.
Rail services are already facing disruptions in several countries west of Hungary, with operations halting in certain regions. Although trains are still running between Budapest and Vienna, services west of Vienna are suspended at least until Monday noon.
Should there be any cancellations of international trains between Budapest and Vienna, MÁV-START will arrange alternative domestic trains to cover the route.
On Sunday evening, the Kálmán Imre EuroNight train, which travels from Budapest through Austria to Germany and Switzerland, will operate only within Hungary, between Keleti Station and Hegyeshalom, due to the flood situation.
Starting Sunday afternoon, replacement buses have already been in service along the Komárom–Esztergom line due to the flooding of the Danube, replacing S74 trains. Forecasts suggest that ferries to and from Szentendre Island will be suspended by Tuesday, and Szigetmonostor will be accessible only by bus. In Győr, local buses are already being rerouted due to the closure of the riverside road.
According to information from the Austrian Railways (ÖBB) on Sunday afternoon, ÖBB stopped train service between Hegyeshalom and Vienna from Sunday at 6 PM until Monday at midnight, and no replacement trains will be available, MÁV said on its website.
MÁV said that all Railjet, Vienna EuroCity, Kálmán Imre EuroNight and EuRegio trains will only run to and from Hegyeshalom. They advised international passengers to postpone their journeys and not depart. For more information on the measures affecting travel, please visit the ÖBB website or the MÁVINFORM interface.
MÁV-Volán has previously announced that flooding and weather disruptions should be expected. They also mentioned that passengers travelling to Austria who had bought their tickets by 12 September for the period 13-15 September would be able to use them between 12 and 18 September. For those planning to travel later, their existing tickets will be refunded or exchanged at no handling charge.
