London-based architects Grimshaw have won the tender to transform Budapest’s historic Nyugati station as a three-storey train terminus for the new age of European rail. Plans call for six tracks to move underground, allowing Nyugati to serve the Danube railway tunnel linking with Déli station. A new railway hall will be built in the area behind Eiffel Hall, where cafés, restaurants and an events space will feature.
Based on the concept of Grimshaw Architects, also
responsible for Waterloo International and Southern Cross station in Melbourne,
Nyugati is expected to welcome around 300,000 passengers a day. The new
building behind Eiffel Hall will be a 13-track, modern railway hall with a
special roof structure, while a new communal space with an events venue, shops,
restaurants and cafés will be created.
Recreational space will run
along Podmaniczky utca, connecting City Park and the Nagykörút as a green
corridor with 17 hectares of leisure areas and sports courts.
The complex design tender is integral to the Budapest Agglomeration Railway Strategy, aimed at doubling railway passenger traffic. A system of individual main stations in Budapest is being replaced by a through-rail network, with at least four trains departing on each suburban line to Budapest per hour, and at least three metro lines available from all stations. Single and season tickets will be made available for the region.
