Hungary's central location in Europe and the dense motorway network is one of its most important competitive advantages.
Four vital European transport corridors pass through Hungary, providing unparalleled access to all parts of Europe, including major European ports and the fast-growing CIS market.
In order to exploit these benefits, Hungary is determined not only to preserve, but also to enhance its infrastructural network and to improve its integration into the European network.
Road Network
As a result of intensive construction works along main transport corridors, major motorways and trunk roads reach national borders, ensuring faster and safer transportation.
Hungary has an extensive road system, centred in Budapest, and the most developed highway network among new EU member states. 70 % of the road traffic is passing through the motorways and main roads of the country. The length of the country's expressway network is 1,110 km.
The improvement of the highway network and four-lane motorways linking all the major cities in Hungary will result in an approximately 40% decrease of driving times on the main inter-city routes.
Motorways are marked by 'M', international roads (European transit roads) are marked by 'E'. Seven of the eight main roads start from Budapest (designated by single digit numbers, running clockwise from the Vienna motorway M1) and all of them link up with the European road network. A top priority of the Hungarian government is to further extend and reconstruct the road network in Hungary.
Railway Network
The railway network covers the whole country and is an integral part of the international railway network, thus providing easy access by international express trains from the neighbouring and numerous other European countries.
Fast connection to sea ports
Several scheduled block train lines connect Hungary with the sea ports of Hamburg (D), Bremen (D) and Rotterdam (NL) on the North Sea, with Koper (Sl) and Trieste (I) on the Adriatic and soon with Constantza (RO) on the Black-Sea. The Koper, Trieste and Constantza seaports also offer alternative shipping routes from Asia. Lead time from these ports to Hungary is within 16-36 hours by road or direct train.
Over 20% of freight is transported by rail in Hungary, well above the EU average Záhony and its region at the Hungarian-Ukrenaia border is the junction and reloading centre for European standard-gauge railways and the wide-gauge system of the CIS states Ongoing liberalisation of rail services
Inland Waterways
Hungary is landlocked but has access to the Black Sea and the North Sea via the river Danube. Major inland ports are located in Győr-Gönyü, Budapest, Dunaújváros and Baja. The opening of the Danube-Rhine-Main channel in 1992 made possible the performance of export-import traffic with the countries along the Rhine and the maritime ports in the North, too.
Alternativ routes from the Far East to Hungary
Air
The main International Airport in Hungary is the Liszt Ferenc International Airport in Ferihegy, Budapest. Budapest is serviced by numerous major international airlines, with significant growth in the charter air service market to closer destinations in the region. Budapest is also accessible by several low-cost airlines.
Larger cities maintain airports for private aircrafts. New airport development projects are foreseen for transforming former military airfields into cargo airports.
