Speaking at the ceremony, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said upgrades under preparation would reduce travel time between Budapest and Brasov by five hours, adding that speeds on the inaugurated stretch would rise from 100 to 160 km/h.

He highlighted a government programme focused on the development of the Great Plain region and said the last stretch of the M44 motorway, which connects Bekescsaba with the M5 motorway, would be completed by year-end.

He added that the M47 motorway, connecting Bekescsaba and Debrecen, was in the planning stages, while the M4 motorway would be extended to Berettyoujfalu, near the border with Romania.

In addition to the 30km stretch of railway between Bekescsaba and Lokoshaza, Orban also mentioned upgrades of rail lines between Szeged and Kiskunfelegyhaza and between Budapest and Belgrade.

Orban noted the recent announcement of a HUF 280bn investment by Vulcan Shield Global in Bekescsaba -- with the support of HUF 49bn from the government - that would create 2,500 jobs. He also pointed to the presence of Airbus in nearby Gyula, a second plant that will soon be finished at Mercedes' base in Kecskemet, BYD's plant under construction in Szeged and the BMW factory in Debrecen, to be inaugurated on Friday.

Those investments will create around 50,000 jobs in the Great Plain region, he added.

The Bekescsaba-Lokoshaza rail line was upgraded with HUF 186.2bn in European Union support. The stretch is part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).

MTI Stock Photo - for illustrative purposes only
 

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

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