Investigative journalists claim Hungary’s government mandated sell-off of Budapest land could begin soon

Plans by the Hungarian government to sell valuable state-owned land around Budapest’s main railway stations have sparked sharp political debate, with critics accusing ministers of rushing through deals ahead of the upcoming elections.

Is the government having a sale in Budapest before the elections?

According to VSquare’s investigative reporting cited by journalist sources, the initiative is being coordinated by the Ministry of Construction and Transport led by János Lázár. The plans allegedly involve disposing of unused state properties surrounding the capital’s four major railway hubs — Keleti, Nyugati, Déli and Kelenföld — in an accelerated procedure.

The state railway company MÁV and the asset manager Magyar Nemzeti Vagyonkezelő Zrt. have reportedly been instructed to prepare tenders swiftly. Draft documentation is said to already be circulating internally. The properties in question include neglected plots, abandoned buildings and centrally located land that could be worth tens of billions of forints, potentially exceeding HUF 100 billion in total market value.

As Népszava writes, among the areas mentioned are the historic railway station building at Kelenföld and its surroundings, state land on both sides of Déli station, and large tracts near Podmaniczky Street by Nyugati. Critics note that several of these locations were once linked to ambitious long-term development plans that never materialised.