The tender, issued on January 8, covers planning and construction.
The section between Szeged and the Hungarian side of the border at Röszke has been out of use since the border was closed due to the migration crisis some years ago and is in poor condition.
As well as electrification and restoring the line for 120km/h operation, the contract includes implementing central traffic control and constructing a new station at Szentmihálytelek.
The project will provide a travel time between the two regional centres of between 30 and 40 minutes and, more importantly, will be a suitable alternative for freight traffic to Serbia while the Hungarian section of the Budapest - Belgrade line is rebuilt, although ideally an avoiding line should also be built at Szeged to eliminate the need for trains to reverse.
The contact could be signed as early as May if financing is secured for the project. A deadline for completion is currently set for 2022 and work on the Serbian side is already progressing well.
This upgrade will reinstate half of the Serbian section of the former link between Szeged and Baja. Proposals have also been made to rebuild the line from Subotica to Bácsalmás but this has a much lower priority.
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