Budapest officials have ambitious plans for redeveloping the Kelenföld area of Buda’s District XI, and now construction is under way to extend tramline 1 – the urban rail featuring the world’s longest streetcars – another 1.7 kilometers from its current southern terminus at the Etele/Fehérvári intersection to the neighborhood’s bustling train station. While the new tracks are installed, surrounding green spaces will be refurbished as hundreds of trees and thousands of shrubs are planted to add living color to this residential zone currently dominated by Soviet-era apartment blocks.

According to Budapest’s BKK public-transport company, the extension of tramline 1 to Kelenföld Railway Station has been in the works for decades, and as urban planners prepare to redevelop the neighborhood with modern buildings and enhanced parkland, this added transit link aims to increase the city’s connectivity with the most populous zone of District XI. The construction is expected for completion in 2019, at which point passengers can ride tram 1 from its northern terminus in Óbuda around the outskirts of downtown Pest and back across the Danube into Buda’s southern region to the rail depot. Since many trains that depart Déli Railway Station also stop at Kelenföld before continuing towards Lake Balaton, Vienna, Germany or Croatia, this should make long-distance travel more convenient for many city dwellers.

An added bonus of the tramline extension is the enhancement of nearby greenery, as construction plans include refurbishment of open space adjacent to the new segment of urban railway, and also a section of grass-covered tracks similar to tram 1’s initial segment in Óbuda. According to Metro Report International, this project will cost 8.6 billion forints, with 98.5% of that being paid for with EU funding, and the remainder coming from municipal coffers. Scroll down to see more computer-generated images of how the new tram 1 section is projected to appear.

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