Havlíčkobrodské train station will be filled with shops and restaurants within four years

  JIHLAVA/PRAHA - The train station in Havlíčkův Brod is set to be filled with shops, restaurants, and service establishments within four years. The transformation into a building with a modern check-in and information center, along with commercial spaces, has been promised by AŽD Praha, which won the tender from České dráhy. In exchange for investments amounting to tens of millions of crowns, they will receive a long-term lease for 30 years, announced AŽD's media representative Petr Štěpánek to ČTK.
    The reconstruction of the station will begin in July and will be carried out in six phases. This year, the information center will be modernized, followed by investments in ticket counters and the České dráhy center. The project also includes facilities for bus transport, as the city is likely to build a bus terminal in the vicinity. The revitalization of the station, which according to the company sees about 6000 people daily, is expected to be completed in 2010.
    České dráhy will attempt to find private investors for the revitalization of more than 60 railway stations across the country through the project called Living Stations. The return on investment is meant to be ensured by long-term leases. The tenders are being announced gradually; in the Vysočina region, the plan is also expected to involve Žďár nad Sázavou. The railway sought a partner for the Havlíčkův Brod station for the first time last summer, but no interested parties came forward. AŽD won in the second round.
    AŽD Praha, s.r.o., is involved in the production of signaling, telecommunications, and information technology for both rail and road transport. The company employs more than 2000 people. It has 11 organizational units and five subsidiaries abroad. Last year, it reported a turnover of 3.1 billion crowns.