The Budapest Metro () is the rapid transit system in the Hungarian capital Budapest. It is the world's oldest electrified underground railway system, and the second oldest underground railway system with multiple stations, after the originally steam-powered London Underground.
Budapest's first line, Line 1, was completed in 1896. The M1 line became an IEEE Milestone due to the radically new innovations in its era: "Among the railway's innovative elements were bidirectional tram cars; electric lighting in the subway stations and tram cars; and an overhead wire structure instead of a third-rail system for power." In 2002, the M1 line was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
History
To clarify where the first "metro" in continental Europe was built, a few distinctions must be made. While the original metro line M1 is the oldest electrified underground railway in continental Europe, it is not the oldest underground railway. Outside of the United Kingdom, the oldest fully underground urban railway in the world is the Tünel line in Istanbul, built in 1875. However since Tünel is a funicular railway, it may or may not be considered a "metro" line, in the classic sense. Therefore, depending on one's definition of a metro, the Budapest Metro is either the oldest or 2nd oldest underground urban railway in continental Europe.
The original line M1 ("Földalatti", from Hungarian föld "earth, ground", alatt "under"; so "the underground") ran for 5 km from Vörösmarty tér to Széchenyi fürdő. Line M1 was inaugurated on May 2, 1896, the year of the millennium (the thousandth anniversary of the arrival of the Magyars), by emperor Franz Joseph. It was named "Franz Joseph Underground Electric Railway Company" ().
Works on line M2 started in the 1950s, although the first section did not open until 1970. It follows an east–west route, connecting the major Keleti (Eastern) and Déli (Southern) railway stations.
Planning for Metro Line 3 began in 1963 and construction started in 1970 with help of Soviet specialists. The first section, consisting of six stations, opened in 1976. It was extended to the south in 1980 with five additional stations, and to the north in 1981, 1984, and 1990, with nine additional stations. With a length of approximately and a total of 20 stations, it is the longest line in Budapest.
Construction of the fourth Metro line began in 2006. The line opened after several delays and budget overruns in May 2014.
Routes
The metro consists of four lines (M1–M4), each denoted by a different colour. M1 (yellow) runs from Mexikói út south-west towards the river. The M2 (red) line travels east–west through the city, crossing the Danube. The M3 (blue) runs in a broadly north–south alignment, interchanging with the three other lines. The M4 (green) line commences at Keleti pályaudvar and travels south-west, crossing the river, to terminate at Kelenföld vasútállomás.
Metro line M1
Line M1 runs northeast from the city centre on the Pest side under Andrássy út to the Városliget, or City Park. Like line M3, it does not serve Buda. Metro line M1, the oldest of the metro lines operating in Budapest, has been in constant operation since 1896. In the 1980s and 1990s, the line underwent major reconstruction. During the construction of line M2, they had to make space for its station at Deák Ferenc tér, as a result, M1's station at Deák Ferenc tér had to be rebuilt approximately 40 meters from the original station. Of its 11 stations currently served, eight are original and three were added during the reconstruction. The original appearance of the old stations has been preserved, and each station features displays of historical photographs and information. As part of the reconstruction, the Millennium Underground Museum in the old station at Deák Ferenc tér connected to the concourse. There are plans for the future extension of the line in both directions.