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On Thursday, the first railway trams painted bright yellow at the beginning and at the end, started operating in the line from Hódmezővásárhely to Szeged (southern Hungary). The aim of the modification is to make the vehicles stand out from road traffic and consequently reduce the number of collisions and accidents, said the Hungarian Railways’ (MÁV) Communications Directorate.
According to the communication, the number of collisions with road vehicles on the railway tram network has been high since the start of the network, and the reason for these collisions is always the inattention of road users and non-compliance with the traffic regulations.
In 2022, 28 accidents occurred on trams, 15 of which caused material damage. In 2025, there have been four accidents so far. Despite the accidents, the tram service is still extremely reliable, with the punctuality of the trams typically around 98 percent.
Because of the frequency of accidents, the MÁV group decided to make the vehicles more conspicuous in a pilot program.
Csongor Horváth, a trainee infrastructure engineer at MÁV and a student at Széchenyi István University, wrote a thesis on his idea to improve the safety of railway trams, which he backed up with measurements and eye-camera tests. He also submitted his concept to the railway company’s ideas competition, the implementation of which was supported by the MÁV Group.
The bright yellow surfaces at both ends of the vehicles will be enhanced by foiling, in an effort to make the trains stand out more than ever from the urban environment. The results will be evaluated after a one-year trial period. If the number of accidents caused by inattentive drivers is reduced,
this could not only mean significant savings for the railway company, but also increase the availability of rolling stock, which could be out of service for several days for repairs after an accident.
The average cost of repairs per accident is around HUF 500-800,000 (EUR 1,200-2,000), and so far, damages have amounted to around HUF 40 million (EUR 100,000). Experience has shown that the repair workshop now has replacement parts available for frequently damaged elements, reducing the average repair time to one or two days.
Via MTI; Featured picture: Wikipedia