On Thursday morning the first refurbished M3 metro cars arrived from Russia to the Kőér Street vehicle yard of BKK. The Budapest portal released pictures of the new wagons. The six cars were renovated by Metrovagonmas, and according to the MTI press release, they started their journey to Budapest on May 12th. After the fix-up, the cars are much safer, their maintenance is much easier, and they operate with reduced energy consumption.
These cars are also more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing now. The cabins, the driver compartment, and the dashboard were all refurbished, while they also modernized the controller, video surveillance, and security systems. BKK signed with Metrovagonmas last August to modernize and renovate the fleet of metro line M3; the contract also includes other related services and the transportation of tools.
The guaranteed lifetime of the vehicles is 25 years. Three prototypes were brought to Budapest with this shipment; the one that arrived on Thursday still has a test-ride of 15,000 kilometers ahead. The other two will only have to go 5,000 kilometers before being ready to roll, and the drivers and mechanics will be trained on these vehicles. It is currently unknown when these metros will start carrying public passengers.
