South Moravian representatives supported the relocation of the station in Brno to the river

Brno - The representatives of the South Moravian Region today supported the construction of the Brno railway station in the relocated position by the river. According to them, it can be started earlier than in the city center and even with money from the European Union. The second option is the construction in the city center beneath Petrov near the current station. The region's decision is only a recommendation to the government, which will ultimately decide on the location. Brno will also issue a recommendation, which has not yet made a decision.

Fifty-three representatives voted for the relocation, one was against, and three representatives abstained. The construction of the station is expected to take about six years. The cost by the river is estimated to be between 42 and 45 billion crowns, while under Petrov it ranges from 42 to 56 billion crowns. According to a feasibility study commissioned by the Railway Administration, construction could begin by the river in 2020, while under Petrov not before 2026.

Opposing the plan was the regional and Brno representative from the Greens, Jana Drápalová, while Jiří Hlavenka and Ivo Vašíček (both from the SZ) abstained, as did the deputy governor Jan Vitula (TOP 09). The mayor of Brno, Petr Vokřál (ANO), who is also a regional representative, was not present and has not yet commented on the options.

The council recommended the relocation option to the assembly, seeing the main advantage in procedural matters. The relocated station has been in preparation for a long time, is in the land use plan, and therefore an earlier start of construction is realistic. Consequently, funds from the European Union could still be drawn, which is less likely for the option in the city center under Petrov. The advantage of the relocated station is also expected to be easier and cheaper integration of high-speed lines later on.

People protesting against the relocated version before the assembly meeting pointed out that such a station would extend travel time for people and make integration with public transport more difficult.

The final decision will be made by the government, and the decisions of the region and Brno, which has not yet expressed support for any of the options, will only be advisory. The Office of the City Architect of Brno has also recently expressed support for the relocation.

Opposition representative Hlavenka proposed that the region conduct a survey among people commuting to Brno daily. "It is not good to rush anything. The survey additionally won't take much time. We should ask those 30,000 people who commute to Brno daily, but no one has asked them yet," said Hlavenka. However, the representatives did not support him. The Greens pointed out that if the relocated station is built, it will not be sufficiently served by public transport, and travel time will be extended by several minutes.

Coalition representative, former governor Michal Hašek (ČSSD), reminded that discussions about a new station have been ongoing since the 1920s, so there is no time for further debates. He stated that the construction by the river is more prepared, while under Petrov there is a risk of not being able to draw European funding. Tunnels would need to be built under Petrov, which would increase construction costs and significantly complicate transport, he said. During the construction of the relocated station, the current station can operate normally; otherwise, there would be a six-year interim setup, and trains would use the lower station and other Brno stations.

Opposition representative Antonín Tesařík (KDU-ČSL) mentioned that if Brno does not start building the station, it could disappear from the railway map. Stanislav Navrkal from the opposition KSČM stated that at the beginning of the millennium the relocation would cost 27 billion, and now it is 20 billion more expensive, so any delay in timing will mean further cost increases.