Good practice:

Sustainable Tourism Mobility in Balatonfüred – Intermodal developments

The railway traffic at Lake Balaton has a long history going back over more than 100 years. Balatonfüred is one of the most significant railway stations of that section in terms of the passenger transport. The bus transport has developed independently from the railway transport. There was no organizational and structural integration in many cases. Although the bus station was built near the railway station in Balatonfüred, there was no connection between the railway and the bus transport. Balatonfüred is a key tourism development area of Lake Balaton and a settlement with outstanding tourism performance. It is one of the most popular destinations for summer holidays.
The aim of the intermodal development was to reconstruct the 40-year-old building of the railway station, including its energy-efficient modernization, elaboration of new functions, building connections between the transport sectors, strengthening the load-bearing characteristics, and meeting the needs of the 21st century, serving the growing tourism mobility needs, facilitating the transport of visitors (advanced passenger information system, fulfilling the accessibility requirements). P + R and B + R parking facilities were established. Developments were established to increase the accessibility for people with reduced mobility and people with visual disability. As a result, a special service space was created at the square in front of the railway station, which became an integral part of city all year round.

The total cost of the investment was HUF 1.1 billion. The Hungarian national railway company (called MÁV) spent HUF 700 million on the renovation. HUF 350 million was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund. And HUF 58 million was provided by the Hungarian government.

Due to new transport hub, visitors can approach Balatonfüred more easily by public transport. Tourism mobility has significantly improved.
The local bus network was also re-organized in the city in accordance to the railway timetable, which led to a 5% growth in the ticket sales. There is increased need for intermodality in tourism. The P + R car park is 100% occupied in summer and at around 60% in winter. The utilization rate of the covered bike storages is almost 100%.

It was difficult for the transport service providers to cooperate as the information, required for the implementation, were available at different levels. It is recommended, the frame of cooperation should be clarified in the planning phase. Local characteristics should be taken into consideration.

The proper design of transport hubs highly contributes to the establishment of a modern, transfer-oriented and hub-based transport system. Intermodal developments enable smooth transfers and help the acceptance of intermodality, which is not yet common in the area. The energy-conscious design contribute to strengthen sustainable tourism mobility and improve intermodality in low-carbon transport. This intermodal development is suitable to be transferred to other tourism areas to improve tourism mobility towards smart destinations. The establishment of similar transport hubs contributes to strengthen the connection between the different transport service providers. As the station is used periodically, there is the risk that the area of the station will become empty and unused, and the area will not be part of the settlement. This can be avoided, if the area (railway station) is connected into the pedestrian traffic and if a service space for other purposes is established.