Four expert evaluations recommend keeping the train station in the center of Brno

Brno - Four expert reports from four Czech and Slovak universities, commissioned by the Office of the Architect of the City of Brno (KAMB) at the request of city councilors, recommend placing the new train station in the center, not in a displaced location. Experts cite shorter travel times, lower construction costs for urban infrastructure, and lower operating costs as key factors. Another reason is the much greater congestion of some roads and intersections in the case of a displaced station. This is indicated by the reports provided to journalists by Miluše Zemanová, assistant to the mayor's deputy Martin Ander (SZ).

Although all reports agree on the central location variant, the Office of the City Architect presented at a press conference on Tuesday the displaced option as unequivocally advantageous and did not inform about the reports. "The reports merely duplicate information contained in the feasibility study and are well known to our office. It cannot be said that they contradict our position, which takes these results into account and includes them in the presentation at the press conference," said KAMB spokesperson Jana Běhalová.

Brno's main train station, located in the city center, has long been left to "age", with the expectation that a new station would already exist. Therefore, the current station has undergone significant repairs in the last five years. Although talk of its relocation a kilometer south has been ongoing for nearly 100 years, the voice of opponents has been so strong in the last 20 years that construction has not yet begun. They demand that the station be preserved close to the city center.

The mentioned expert reports from the four universities primarily draw on a feasibility study published by the Railway Infrastructure Administration (SŽDC), which states that the current station cannot be used in the future due to insufficient capacity. Both variants for the new station are feasible and economically advantageous. The station could either be displaced to the site of the freight lower station or only slightly shifted from its current location towards Malá Amerika. The final decision on the variant must be made by the government. The city, like the region and SŽDC, has a recommending voice.

That the central station variant is more favorable from a transport perspective is already indicated by the feasibility study. More tram lines will serve it, and travel times from large parts of the city will be shorter. No one advocating for the displaced station has disputed this argument. The displacement currently has support from the region and the Office of the City Architect, mainly for procedural reasons, such as the possibility of building sooner and partly still using European funds. The downside of the central station, highlighted in the reports, is the multi-year construction work in the city center and long-term disruptions. In a displaced location, construction can proceed without major restrictions, as it is an inner periphery of the city where there is practically no economic activity.

The costs of both variants are roughly similar. The displaced station is expected to cost between 42 and 45 billion, while the central station is estimated between 42 and 56 billion.

The reports primarily focused on the impact that the chosen variant will have on the passengers it serves. The experts agree that travel times to destinations within Brno will predominantly increase with the displaced variant and can be up to seven minutes depending on the destination.

Pavel Drdla from the Pardubice Transport Faculty of Jan Perner also defined critical points in the urban transport infrastructure for both variants. According to him, there will be more in the displaced variant due to the proposal to significantly increase the number of public transport connections during peak hours.

Just like in the feasibility study, experts concluded that the displaced variant would be significantly more expensive for building urban infrastructure and particularly for its operation. According to some, it is also likely that the transport company would need more vehicles than currently to cover all the planned lines.