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Two businessmen submitted valid bids: László Szíjj, the owner of Duna Aszfalt, through the Lumen private equity fund, and Lőrinc Mészáros via Mészáros és Mészáros Zrt., offering annual, per‑kilometer fees of HUF 1.6 billion and HUF 1.4 bln. Both men are widely considered to be Fidesz-era oligarchs.
According to reporting by G7, an independent Hungarian business news outlet, the government calculated that the Mészáros bid would have cost HUF 1.7 trillion over 30 years, with a present financial value of HUF 560 bln; construction alone was priced at HUF 360 bln for a 42‑km section, which is equivalent to HUF 8.6 bln per km, far above the regional benchmark of HUF 4 bln–5 bln per km.
The business model projected HUF 284 bln in net profit and a 15% return on equity, with total costs of HUF 80 bln fo r renovations and HUF 32 bln for operations.
Officials also questioned the necessity of the projects, noting low traffic levels and that the town of Kőszeg (2025 km west of Budapest by road), with 11,000 residents, already has adequate road capacity and a recently completed EU‑funded border link with Austria. Instead, the government will proceed with a HUF 7 bln electrification of the Kőszeg–Szombathely railway line by 2030.
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