The Ministry of Transport will assess the plan to relocate the railway station in Chomutov

Chomutov – The plan to relocate the main train station in Chomutov closer to the city center will be assessed by the central commission of the Ministry of Transport. The Czech Railways will present the material during the first quarter of this year. This was stated by the spokesperson for Czech Railways, Marek Illiaš. The train station is currently about 800 meters from the bus station, outside the residential area. People walk to the station or drive their cars.

The costs of the move over 600 meters are estimated to be in the billions of crowns. The identified plots belong to private owners, who have industrial premises in the area. "Currently, the project plan is being prepared," said Illiaš. "The expected implementation is in 2024 or 2025 if everything goes smoothly. The implementation period is estimated to be around three years," the spokesperson stated.

Chomutov city councilors agreed to the relocation last year. The relocation would occur during the reconstruction of the railway track between Ústí nad Labem and Cheb, aimed at increasing speed and safety of operation while also increasing the capacity of the railway. According to the earlier statement by Mayor Marek Hrabáč (ANO), the abandoned space after the station could be used by the city as a development zone, and one of the abandoned tracks as a bicycle path.

In the area where the station could be relocated, there are currently coal warehouses, whose owner has repeatedly expressed concerns about the destruction of her business. "We have negotiated with the landowners in the presence of representatives of the city leadership in the form of a presentation of the construction in Chomutov at the town hall," Illiaš stated. Czech Railways subsequently presented the plan to the citizens of the city.

The original option was to move the station to the site of the former ice rink, but this was not possible as it was an area in the floodplain of the Chomutovka River.