Sooner or later, they will really renovate that railway line where a man in a snail costume outran the train.

Hungarian Minister of Transport, Dávid Vitézy, announced the preparation for the renovation of the Mátészalka-Debrecen railway line, with construction already starting on sections near Debrecen. The line has faced significant delays, with trains accumulating a record 4529 minutes of lateness in July 2024. The renovation aims to improve competitiveness against buses, increasing speeds to 160 km/h between Debrecen and Apafa, while planning further developments towards Mátészalka. The project will be funded by EU sources and includes complete track renovation and modernization of stations. Travel time between Mátészalka and Debrecen is expected to reduce to 1 hour and 20 minutes, replacing old diesel trains with modern low-floor units.