The region announced an architectural competition for a transportation terminal in Liberec

Liberec - The Liberec Region, in collaboration with the Railway Administration and the city of Liberec, has announced an architectural competition for the design of a modern transport terminal that is to be built around the main train station in Liberec. The competition aims to select the most suitable architectural concept and team to develop the project documentation for the construction, said governor Martin Půta (Mayors for the Liberec Region) to reporters today. The construction of the terminal in Liberec is estimated to cost more than two billion crowns according to preliminary estimates.

"This is an ambitious project that will significantly improve not only access to trains but also to other forms of public transport within the planned transport terminal. At the same time, it will help initiate the transformation of the entire area. The goal of the Railway Administration is nothing less than to restore the original glory of the Liberec station and make it a vibrant heart of the entire locality, offering all travelers easy orientation and intuitive transfers to connecting modes of transport," added the general director of the Railway Administration, Jiří Svoboda.

The terminal is expected to connect rail, bus, and city public transport, with the dominant part remaining the historic station building from 1859, which is to become a dignified gateway to the city, also considering the planned modernization of the railway connection between Liberec and the capital city. The competition for the design solution is a two-round process. "Competition proposals can be submitted until July 31," said Půta. The five best proposals will then be invited for further development by the jury. The results are expected to be announced at the beginning of next year, when they will also be presented to the public.

According to Půta, the architectural design will concern not only the main train station building but also the solution for the central station. "It will also involve the Skloexport building, the area in front of the station, and the construction of a parking house that should serve not only travelers but also adjacent buildings," said the Liberec governor. The main station building is to form the basis of the terminal, to which buses will be moved, necessitating the removal of several tracks. New spaces will also need to be ensured, for example, for railway firefighters.

The vision of connecting bus and train transport in a single complex was presented by the Liberec city architect, who is now deputy mayor Jiří Janďourek (Mayors for the Liberec Region) together with other experts in 2012. However, the Liberec city council rejected it four years later and continued to prepare the construction of a new terminal at the current bus station. Ultimately, this was abandoned, and five years ago, the project was taken over by the Liberec Region, which first had it revised and then completely withdrew from it.

Liberec mayor Jaroslav Zámečník (Mayors for the Liberec Region) considers the project to be key. "Such constructions typically bring a strong economic impulse – business and development activities often concentrate near them. And that is exactly what modern Liberec needs. It is a crucial transport hub through which about 45,000 passengers pass daily, and with the construction of modern railways, we expect the number to double," he stated.

According to Půta, the connection of rail, bus, and city transport is a trend. "The current situation is unsatisfactory because the transfer is not in one place," he said. He believes that connecting different modes of transport in one node could bring additional passengers to public transport. The project is expected to gain significance in the future, once Liberec is connected to Prague by a fast railway line currently being prepared. The Railway Administration estimates the costs at 80 billion crowns.