HUNGARY: Most freight trains will stop nationwide from 17:00 to 22:00 under emergency energy-saving measures introduced as reduced output at the Paks nuclear plant strains the national power system.

Rail Cargo Hungaria electric locomotive at Pécel station in Hungary.
Rail Cargo Hungaria electric locomotive at Pécel station; illustrative image that does not depict the current restriction. Cropped and resized. Photo: Globetrotter19 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0.

The restriction will take effect on Monday and cover Hungary’s railway network during the five-hour evening peak. Trains considered essential to the economy, basic supplies or critical infrastructure will remain exempt, including services carrying goods and equipment required by operating power stations.

Transport and Investment Minister Dávid Vitézy said the measure is expected to reduce electricity consumption by 70–90 MWh per day. His official announcement also makes clear that trains held during the restricted period are expected to operate in other time windows rather than disappear from the network entirely.

Freight traffic moves outside the evening peak

The government emergency response group approved the rail measure to reduce demand when the electricity system is under its greatest pressure. Vitézy compared the operational approach with restrictions previously used during heavy snowfall, although the present action is driven by electricity supply rather than railway conditions.

The five-hour window therefore changes when most freight services can run, while retaining a defined exception for flows needed to keep essential facilities operating.

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Budapest slows acceleration on metro and tram services

Budapest is introducing a separate package for urban transport. Metro trains and trams will accelerate less intensively, adding several minutes to some journeys without suspending services. Mayor Gergely Karácsony said in the city’s energy-saving announcement that the revised operation should save about 15 MWh per day.

Modern diesel buses will replace electric trolleybuses on certain routes on weekdays, while charging for electric buses and public electric bicycles will move outside the 17:00–22:00 peak. Decorative lighting has also been switched off at more than 300 municipality-managed buildings.

Low Danube levels cut Paks nuclear output

The emergency measures follow a sharp reduction in generation at Paks, Hungary’s only nuclear power station. The plant uses Danube water for cooling, but prolonged drought has pushed the river to exceptionally low levels while temperatures approach 40°C and air-conditioning demand rises.

A 3 August update on the Paks plant reported that the 2 GW facility, which normally generates about half of Hungary’s electricity, was operating at just over 10% of capacity. Its remaining 240 MW turbine could continue through Monday or Tuesday, although a complete shutdown was still expected later in the week if Danube levels continued to fall.

MAVIR, the national power system operator, has activated procedures for major generation disruptions. Large industrial consumers have been asked to cut demand voluntarily, while mandatory limits or temporary power cuts remain possible if conditions worsen.

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