Opponents of the relocation of the Brno train station are seeking help from the Prime Minister

BRNO - The Civic Coalition Station in the Center, which is against the relocation of the railway station in Brno, today approached Prime Minister Jiří Paroubek (ČSSD). They are asking him to advocate for a change to the current project for relocating the station. The Prime Minister can pressure Minister Milan Šimonovský (KDU-ČSL) to reconsider his stance on the station relocation project, said Martin Ander, director of Hnutí Duha, to reporters today. According to him, the government should request an independent assessment of possible alternatives.
According to opponents of the relocation, there is still time to assess the effectiveness of possible alternatives. "Politicians should consider whether the relocation could jeopardize the entire reconstruction of the railway junction," stated Brno councilor Jeroným Tejc (ČSSD).
The project, which involves the construction of a new station less than a kilometer from the current one, is set to begin this year. Up to 85 percent of the costs for railway construction are planned to be obtained from the European Union. However, if the government fails to secure funds from European sources, it is up to them to build the new railway in Brno, said Brno Mayor Richard Svoboda (ODS) today. "No city in the Czech Republic has financed the reconstruction of railway lines on its own," he pointed out. However, the mayor does not know whether funds are available in the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure for potential investment coverage.
The referendum held two years ago, organized by the coalition, was invalid due to low turnout, with around 86 percent of voters expressing opposition to the relocation of the station. This is precisely what the state should take into account, according to the coalition. "The government should request an assessment of the option of the relocated station as well as the station in its current location," Ander believes.
The cabinet has already made decisions regarding the Brno station in the past. In 2002, it approved the reconstruction project for the junction. "I believe the Prime Minister will act consistently with the government's decision from 2002," the mayor responded today to the coalition's move.
The coalition is unhappy that the state is expected to pay twice as much for the reconstruction as originally calculated. From an initial six billion, its co-financing has escalated to 14 billion crowns, Ander noted. Coalition representatives also have objections regarding the presentation of the project by the Ministry of Transport and the city council. "Minister Šimonovský informs about the project in a very misleading way, presenting the junction as a priority project of the European Union, but nothing of the sort is mentioned in the approved documents," claims Ander.
Moreover, according to him, the government has not yet decided on priority projects to be submitted to the European Union for co-financing during the years 2007 to 2013. However, according to Svoboda, the reconstruction of the junction is at the top of the government's priorities in the area of transport in the Czech Republic.
The project for the renovation and modernization of the Brno railway junction will be presented for the first time in Brussels on Thursday to members of the European Parliament and transport experts from the EU by representatives of the Ministry of Transport, the South Moravian Region, and the city. However, according to the mayor, the upcoming presentation is not crucial for the realization of the investment.