Elevators for passengers with reduced mobility along the section from Nagyvárad tér to Kőbánya-Kispest are still under construction, and are not due to be in use until the end of 2021.
The project was not delayed by the coronavirus pandemic thanks to strict regulations put in place by contractors, Strabag and Swietelsky.
As part of the project, track, signalling, stations, lighting, energy supply, passenger information systems, CCTV, radio-telecommunication and ventilation were replaced, rebuilt or redesigned. Klinákák station was also renamed Semmelweis klinikák.
The renovation of the southern section follows the reconstruction of the northern Újpest-Központ - Lehel tér section between November 2017 and March 2019. The line was built in 1975 with much of the equipment coming to the end of its life-cycle, although the automatic train drive system (AVR) installed in 1990 remains in place.
The reconstruction of the full 17.3km line, including the central section, is expected to cost Forints 217bn ($US 723.1m). Work on the Nagyvárad tér - Lehel tér section was launched on November 7, with four stations along the line closed already closed to traffic with services running through them without stopping until work is completed at the end of 2022.
