A design tender has been issued for the revival of Nyugati station and its surroundings, with the aim of creating a modern terminal of international status, a main hub for international and domestic rail. The plan would also integrate Budapest's other two stations, Keleti and Déli, with this venerable landmark on the Nagykörút.
Nyugati station is currently undergoing a major renovation, some parts of which have already been completed. Now the Budapest Development Centre has now announced an international design tender for the revival of the railway station and its surroundings.
Already this year, a new four-star hotel, the Crowne Plaza, opened within the Westend mall, with direct access to the station.
The aim is to create a contemporary central hub to meet the demands of busy rail and passenger traffic in the 21st century while respecting the station’s architectural heritage, given the original iron-and-glass design by the Eiffel company of Tower fame back in the 1870s.
Budapest’s current railway network has reached the limit of its capacity, and the main stations are no longer able to accommodate more trains despite the growing demand. The solution for this is to make these stations, Nyugati, Keleti and Déli, part of an interlinked transit system similar to Brussels, so that services can be forwarded from each.
The construction of a Danube tunnel is being planned for this very purpose, and should be factored in by the international design competition just launched for the renovation of Nyugati and its surroundings.
Stations of the future
“We are launching an international design competition because we are looking for a team that is prepared and capable of planning an investment of this scale, able to mobilise a wide range of expertise. They must understand architecture at the same time and take on board the peculiarities of railway operation,” writes Balázs Fürjes of the Budapest Development Centre.
