Metro Politics

The Hungarian election came and went this past weekend. Fidesz, the incumbent ruling party, bullied its ways into power with its supermajority intact. It won despite entering the election with, according to some estimates, a 25 per cent approval rating.

I’m not going to get too deep into Hungarian politics, mostly because I have tried and failed in eight blog drafts, which lay crumpled in my computer’s recycle bin. It’s tough for a non-Hungarian, unable to read the local news or watch evening news, I rely reports from foreign sources and scuttlebutt from Hungarian friends  – all of which are helpful, but not completely reliable on their own.

When I sat to write this draft, I thought about what I have seen myself and what I know for certain.

Since my arrival to Hungary, construction is everywhere. A large public square near my apartment has constantly been closed with maze-like fenced detours. Some workers look as if they are simply rearranging bricks on the sidewalks. Others working in a heavily-used pedestrian underpass are hidden from sight behind partitions and there was not a lot of work noises coming from behind that partition.

Then there is Budapest’s fourth subway line, which has been under construction for, depending on who you ask, ten to twenty years. It has been held up as an object of infrastructure mismanagement and outright graft. All the signs are there: workers leaning on shovels every time I pass by, opaque government contracts, and construction that never ends.

This has changed. Roads and public squares and pedestrian underpasses have been miraculously completed in the weeks leading up to last weekend’s vote, culminating in the opening of Budapest's fourth subway line.

There are problems, of course. It is a relatively short line, the stops are close together (like five-minute walk close together), and its opening on the weekend before the election has clearly timed to coincide with the election.

Despite all of that, the completed subway is impressive to behold. Its high ceilings mean you do not feel like you are underground. Its tiled mosaics, curious lighting features, exposed concrete beams and buttresses, outdoor water features are attractive, without feeling excessive.

The Budapest transit authority allowed riders on the shiny new subway for free on its inaugural weekend. The whole city it seemed came out to check out this once mythical fourth subway line, including myself and a few friends.

Is it a monument to mismanagement and graft? Possibly, and it would not be surprising. Was its recent opening a feckless political maneuver conveniently timed to grab votes? Of course! But, I think we can all agree that despite all of this, at least it is very easy on the eyes.

The trippy mosaic at Szent Gellért tér

The escalator from heaven at Rákóczy tér. 

You can skip stones at Rákóczy tér. Good? Bad? Fun! 

These guys agree, it's a metro with a lot of room to breathe

A few of the stations, like Fővám tér, have high ceilings with criss-crossing concrete beams.