The Mělník train station has been renovated and is part of the Living Stations project

Mladá Boleslav/Mělník/Praha - The Mělník railway station will undergo repairs after last year's fire. The company that won the tender will repair the entire station building for ten million crowns by November. Additionally, thanks to the interest of the city hall in cooperation, the area has become part of the Czech Railways project titled Living Stations, which aims to significantly revitalize and modernize several other stations in Central Bohemia and across the country with the help of investors. This was stated today by representatives of the city hall and Czech Railways.
Mělník's mayor Miroslav Neumann told ČTK that the city has already prepared a study for the improvement of the wider surroundings of the station, which is also near the bus station. The city has already repaired this with the help of European funds.
The Living Stations project accounts for the possibility that selected stations could have restaurants, various shops, and other services established. Parking options are also expected to improve. However, according to Karel Otava from the Czech Railways general directorate, a weakness of the Mělník station is the fact that it is on the outskirts of the city center and the area does not have as many passengers as other railway nodes. "In any case, the city wants to collaborate, and that is important," Otava told ČTK.
In Central Bohemia, within the Living Stations project, a contractor for the modernization of the station has only been selected in Kolín through tenders. The tender processes have also ended in Nymburk and Poděbrady. According to Hana Bednářová from the press department of Czech Railways, a contractor has already been selected in Poděbrady, and they are waiting for the decision of the Czech Railways board next week. In Nymburk, the evaluation of the tender has not yet concluded.
Tender processes are continuing in Kralupy nad Vltavou, Český Brod, and Kladno. In 2007, the stations in Beroun, Čáslav, Čelákovice, Mělník, Příbram, Rakovník, and Český Šternberk are expected to be included in the project through the announcement of tender processes.
According to Bednářová, the project for the gradual modernization of stations with the help of additional investors is successful, although it will take a longer time. Investors are showing interest not only in significant but also in medium-sized railway stations. "We expect that over time, as the purchasing power of residents grows, we will find partners even for less significant railway stations with lower passenger frequency," said Bednářová.