As a key part of the national and international railway network, railway line V0 may substantially contribute to the more favourable management of transit, departing and destination traffic, and domestic railway freight traffic primarily by serving the purposes of goods transport by rail and, at the same time, relieving the railway system in Budapest and reducing its environmental loads. In the corridor of railway line V0, by making better use of the existing railway lines and capacities and, in addition to conserving environmental values, by also serving the creation of new chances for regional development, it may contribute to the improvement of the efficiency of goods transport by rail and the improvement of the budget balance of the national economy.

An integrated model system comprising three modules substantiated the study in terms of traffic.

• The European macro model provided the effects of changes in the international economic and transport environment;
• Representing the relevant parts (towns and regions) in the neighbouring countries and alternative corridors, the regional model modelled the division of work between the competing corridors;
• The railway operation traffic simulation allowed assessments at the depth of timetables and the analysis of railway operation processes.

Examining six routes bypassing Budapest to the south, using and developing the existing railway lines or running them on completely new routes, the study proposed the development on the new route of Szárliget–Vértesboglár–Vértesacsa–Baracska (south)–Ercsi (south)–the Danube–Kiskunlacháza–Bugyi–Dabas–Pusztavacs–Ceglédbercel for implementation. With regard to the route, bypassing residential and valuable recreation areas, the Kiskunság National Park, and other nature conservation areas (protected as Natura 2000 areas and/or under Ex-lege protection) at the same time or affecting them to the minimum as far as possible represented challenges.

A detailed technical design study covering all railway building trades was prepared for the selected route, while Natura 2000 impact estimation and a Strategic Environmental Assessment were prepared for the assessment of environmental impacts.

Design parameters:

• The horizontal geometry has two tracks throughout with a typical design speed of 160 km/h on the open line. An exception to this is the line section running at the foothills of the Vértes Hills, where due to the disproportionately high capital costs, a design speed of 120 km/h is recommended. The allowable axle load is 225 kN.
• For the design of elevation geometry, the ruling grade (RG) was set at 5 ‰. The route alternatives typically run on flat terrains, where sections with a 0 ‰ to 4 ‰ gradient may be applied. In the case of areas west to the Danube (Etyek Hills and Mezőföld), the high escarpments along the right bank of the Danube and the non-level crossings of the railway lines, this set objective can sometimes be achieved only with technical solutions that cost more.