The Szentendrei HÉV

The Szentendrei HÉV (HÉV = railway of local interest) is one of the four suburban railway lines of Budapest operated by BKV (Budapest Public Transport).

The line is electified, the nominal voltage is 1000 V DC. Nowadays, the passenger traffic is operated excusively with class MXA electric trainsets. Freight trains are very rare: the regular freight traffic was shut down in 1997.

The class MXA trainsets were built between 1975 and 1983 by LEW Hennigsdorf, in the former East Germany. The shortest unit contains 3 cars: power car - trailer (with pantographs) - power car (MXA - PXXVIIIA - MXA (M = motorkocsi = power car, P = pótkocsi = trailer, X and XXVIII = class numbers, A = variant "A")). A power car (MXA) is equipped with four 100 kW strong traction motors, its wheel arrangement is Bo'Bo'. The power of a 3-car-unit is 800 kW, that of a usual double unit (6 cars) is 1600 kW. Their maximum speed allowed is 70 km/h.

Békásmegyer is the last station inside the borders of Budapest. It was built in 1981, in the centre of the huge housing estate (with its 50000 inhabitants, it is the largest housing estate of Hungary).

The tracks of the station are accessible through an underpass.

The class L VI electric locomotives (3 locos: numbers 31, 32 and 33) were built in 1929 by Ganz in Budapest. Wheel arrangement: Bo'Bo', Mass: 40,4 t, Power: 324 kW, Vmax: 40 km/h.

Change to the MÁV line 2 Budapest-Esztergom »

When removing the tracks' superstructure, the old ballast was collected between the trees. Now, as the new tracks have been laid, the ballast will be loaded in a train. The NOHAB locomotive pulls the full train over the bare tracks, where the cars will be unloaded.

Aquincum elágazás (Aquincum junction) is the only connection between the HÉV line and the MÁV network. As a matter of fact, it is a station without passenger traffic - no scheduled train stops here.

The connection track reaches the MÁV line 2 Esztergom-Budapest at Óbuda station. The latter station was electrified - together with the connection track  - in HÉV system (1000 V DC), but the catenary was removed after the freight traffic shutdown on the HÉV line. The HÉV has 3 tracks between Kaszásdűlő station stop and the junction. Since the MÁV line is not electrified, the HÉV trains are hauled by diesel locomotives there (e.g. when transporting trainsets between the HÉV lines of Budapest).

The class L VII electric locomotives were built as passenger motor cars, but the did not prove themselves in the passenger traffic, because of embarkation/disembarkation difficulties. Therefore they are used as freight train locomotives. 10 of them have been built: Nos. 81-86 were built by Ganz Budapest in 1943, and Nos. 87-90, built by MVG Győr and Ganz VM Budapest in 1951. Wheel arrangement: Bo'Bo' Mass: 34 t. Power: 368 kW. Vmax: 60 km/h.

The class DL XVI is a diesel-electric locomotive type (D=diesel, L=loco), built by Ganz-MÁVAG in 1963. Their wheel arrangement is Bo'Bo', their mass: 61,8 t.  They are 442 kW strong and 80 km/h fast. Besides the normal chain coupler and buffers they are equipped with HÉV couplers (which are not compatible with the Scharfenberg coupler of the MXA's: coupling them requires an additional adaptor).

Kaszásdűlő is a station stop with 3 tracks. However track 1 is not used by scheduled trains.

Batthyány tér terminal forms the transfer connection between the Szentendrei HÉV and the subway line M2. The HÉV was extended with a 1,1 km long underground section in 1970, simultaneously with the construction of the subway. Previously the terminal was at Margit híd (Margaret Bridge). A remain of this station is the single-track station Margit híd felszín (Margaret Bridge Surface), terminal of MÁV's trains running between Budapest and Esztergom during the reconstruction of the Northern Railway Bridge in 2008.