Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Speech at the Inauguration of Metro Line 4

Dear Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is almost unbelievable, but I can now say it. Line 4 of the metropolitan network has finally been completed and it is with great pleasure that we hereby open it to the Budapest public. Budapest has waited for this day for a long time. It's shocking, but the public has been waiting for this for longer than you think, for almost more than 40 years. It may be surprising to some, but the plan for the construction of Metro Line 4 goes back all the way to the 1970s. And when construction finally began in 2006 it was a daunting task, because the costs kept going up and up and the chances of its completion seemed increasingly further away. It was during this period that Metro Line 4 became the popular but bitter-sweet topic of jokes within the public sphere. The people of Budapest began to accept the thought that only their grandchildren would use Budapest's new Metro line, or not even them. And I remember when news spread that Chuck Norris had already travelled on Metro Line 4.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

But luckily, we don't need to be Chuck Norris to be able to travel on Metro Line 4 today. The fact that we are finally standing here today and can open the new underground to the public of Budapest is first and foremost the result of the solidarity and unity that was established in 2010 and has since been maintained. This is also true with regard to the relationship between the Government and the City of Budapest. As we have heard from His Honour the Mayor, the City of Budapest and the government at the time had a cat and mouse relationship. The City repeatedly occupied a stance of inactive defiance, irrespective of whoever happened to be in Government. As a result, over the years this project slowly turned into a gigantic knot, and because it couldn't be severed, Mayor of Budapest István Tarlós and his team had no choice but to unravel it. Through reviewing the various contracts and difficult negotiations they managed to save billions of forints in public monies. Dear István, please allow me to congratulate you all on your successful efforts. I would like to point out that I had only one request with regard to the Metro when the Mayor of Budapest came to office, and that was that we set a single date as a deadline. Just one date, but that we keep to that date. That we do not find ourselves in a situation that damages the standing of the country and our own standing, in which we have to announce a new deadline to the people of Budapest every single month. Please allow me, Ladies and Gentlemen, to take this opportunity to also express my thanks to the roughly 5000 people who were involved in the construction of this extraordinary project. I would like to thank the engineers, technicians, skilled workers and labourers for their work. I would like to here and now officially recognise everyone whose work is now glorified by the new Metro Line 4.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is perhaps also a suitable moment to say a few words about the new relationship between the City of Budapest and the Government. This is a deep-rooted friendship. Within its foundations can be found the sum of 324 billion forints. This is the amount of debt that the country and the nation's budget have assumed from the City of Budapest and its districts. Last year, we signed the so-called "Budapest 21" agreement on harmonising the politics of the City and the nation's administration and to also harmonise cooperation within the field of development projects.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Government's view, including mine as a citizen of Budapest, is that Budapest can once again become a proud capital if it undertakes large-scale projects, and the City can only undertake large-scale projects if it finds a method of cooperating with whatever government happens to be in power. The result of our cooperation is that through our joint efforts we have successfully renovated Kossuth Square, will soon be opening the Castle Bazaar, have built a new centre for music, have restored the Liszt Academy of Music and the Erkel Theatre to their former glory, will soon embark on the construction of the museum district, the FTC stadium has been completed, the Gödör will also be ready soon, we have inaugurated the Ludovika military academy and the Tüske Arena will also soon be open to the sporting public.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

And to crown all of these achievements, after a wait of 40 years, Metro Line 4 begins operating today.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is often said that Hungary is a coffee house nation. If this is true, then it is especially true for the capital, because the country's most famous coffee houses can be found here. If I understand correctly, this means two things. Firstly, that we have an opinion on everything and always find a way of telling each other about it, but what it also means is that we have a greater disposition for talk than for action. I am grateful to Mayor of Budapest István Tarlós for the establishment of a city leadership here in Budapest that is an effective leadership. One that doesn't just talk, but takes action, and if it concludes an agreement then it keeps to that agreement. There is nothing else that I can recommend with regard to the future either to you, Dear István, or to the people of Budapest, than that instead of talking, the city be the capital of action. Let us not forget, action requires strength, Ladies and Gentlemen, and strength requires unity. I recommend to the people of Budapest that they maintain the unity that they brought into being in 2010 and with which they established this city leadership, and my wish for the city's leadership is that, whatever government Hungary may have, they always finds a way to serve the interests of Budapest and the citizens and inhabitants of the nation's capital. It is in this hope that I express my congratulations once again to the Mayor of Budapest, to all of you and to the Budapest public, and may you use this fantastic new metropolitan network in strength and in good health.

Thank you for your attention.

(Prime Minister’s Office)