Brno wants another study on the future urban rapid transit system

Brno - Brno will have another study prepared regarding the projects surrounding the relocation of the train station. Engineers are expected to draw up the exact route of the proposed urban rapid transit system, including stops and all elements. The study is to be completed by mid-next year for 1.9 million crowns by the company Metroprojekt Praha. It was selected by city councilors at today's meeting, said the mayor's deputy Martin Ander to reporters.
    The Metroprojekt study is the latest one commissioned by Brno for this project. This year, the city hall paid 4.5 million crowns for a comparative study that aimed to compare the benefits of renovating the station in the center versus building a new one elsewhere. According to city hall spokesperson Pavel Žára, however, the project to reconstruct the Brno railway is under the purview of the Railway Infrastructure Administration, which also bears most of the costs of the projects. Brno has invested an estimated ten million crowns, according to him.
    The rapid transit system has merged previously irreconcilable projects - the relocation of the station and its reconstruction in the center. The new train station will be built about a kilometer south of the current one, but it will be connected to the current station by the rapid transit line. Regional train services should thus continue to stop in the city center, just a five-minute walk from the central náměstí Svobody square.
    According to Ander, precisely mapping the rapid transit line onto the maps of Brno is necessary for the project to proceed further. The study will serve as a basis for documentation for spatial planning, building permits, and for evaluating the environmental impact of the construction. The city will consult with the company throughout the design process; the councilors have appointed a special commission for this purpose. In addition to representatives from the city hall, experts from academia, including specialists in railway construction, bridges, transport technology, transport systems, architecture, and urban planning, will also sit on it.
    According to Ander, it is not yet clear whether the urban zoning plan will need to be changed due to the construction of the rapid transit line. "It depends on how precisely this contract will turn out. Within it, we will be looking for a route that connects the two stations with the least impact on the existing plans," he said.
    The rapid transit line is to run from the old to the new station along a new urban boulevard. It will run above ground level. Thus, people would be able to disembark from the train at a stop expected to be in the middle of the boulevard, exiting into the first floor of buildings on both sides of the street. Another stop is planned at the current station, followed by one near Radlas Street and another in Komárov.
    The reconstruction of the Brno railway, which is associated with the relocation of the station and the construction of the rapid transit line, is one of the most discussed construction projects in Brno over the last decade. The investment is estimated to cost 20 billion crowns. It is expected to be realized with the help of European funding. This year, the construction of the parking station began, which would have occurred regardless of the station's location.