In response to a question, Lázár said that the deadline for completing construction on the border fence at the Röszke border station, including the railroad tracks, is September 15.



The interior ministry also said it opened a new registration point for illegal migrants at the site of the police secondary school in Körmend, western Hungary, Lázár said. An MTI correspondent has seen tents being set up at the site. István Bebes, the mayor of Körmend, confirmed that he has been informed by the ministry of its plans to set up a temporary reception point capable of accommodating up to 600 people.

The Hungarian government is offering its cooperation to the Hungarian Maltese Charity, the Hungarian Ecumenical Charity and Red Cross Hungary in order to ensure that migrants waiting at the border receive sufficient services, government office chief said. He rejected accusations that the government is not treating the migrants humanely.

Meanwhile as a temporary measure, Hungarian railways MÁV said it would only operate its Budapest-Vienna service to the border station of Hegyeshalom. The Austrian ÖBB railways said earlier that it is temporarily suspending its Railjet train service between Budapest and Vienna due to overcrowded trains. It will also stop its regional services across the border.

Ticket sales have been suspended for these destinations and only cross-border commuters and school children will be provided supplementary buses. MÁV said the suspension will also cause delays on the Budapest-Győr Hegyeshalom line.

News agency MTI’s on-site correspondent reported that some 200-300 migrants boarded a train to Hegyeshalom at Budapest’s Keleti railway station shortly after 5.00pm with another 100 migrants waiting on the platforms just before 6.00pm.

Migrants were told over loudspeakers that trains are only travelling to the border and that refunds can be claimed for international tickets. A correspondent from public news channel M1 said migrants were reassured by interpreters at the station that they would all be able to board trains. The traffic on Austria’s A4 motorway has been stopped completely as large groups of migrants decided to leave Hungary on foot, marching towards Vienna.

Photo: MTI