Prague wants to buy the Žižkov Freight Station from Czech Railways for 1.43 billion CZK

Prague - Prague plans to buy the building of the Žižkov Freight Station and adjacent land from Czech Railways (ČD) for approximately 1.43 billion crowns including VAT. Today, city councilors approved this, and it will still be voted on by the city representatives. The city plans to renovate the extensive heritage-protected building and transform it into a center with spaces for culture, a school campus, apartments, and offices. The transaction, aside from the building, also includes the land necessary for the construction of a tram line, which will connect the district emerging in the railway area to public transport.

According to an urban study approved by the city, up to 15,000 residents are expected to live on the extensive undeveloped land around the station in the future. Central Group has already started constructing apartments there, and other projects are planned by Sekyra Group, Penta, and Finep. According to the city's plans, the station building will provide public services for the new district and simultaneously become a city-wide significant cultural and social center.

"We anticipate significant educational buildings, additional housing, possibly a polyclinic, the National Film Archive is interested, and there is discussion about a data center," outlined today by Deputy Mayor Petr Hlaváček (STAN) regarding the potential uses of the building. However, Councilor for Finance Zdeněk Kovářík (ODS) stated that from an economic perspective, profitable uses must definitely prevail. "The money for what we bought will not come back to us; we do not count on that. It must not mean even a crown that we would pay for operation, so we will look for uses that will have a positive balance," he said.

The building of the former station and the associated land is owned by ČD, which previously established a joint venture with the development firm Sekyra Group to develop the area. Therefore, the company has a right of first refusal on parcels south of the station building, where it intends to build apartments. Until recently, it also had the right to purchase the station, but recently waived it after negotiations with Prague and ČD in exchange for guarantees from the city that it would not lose the opportunity to build apartments in the planned extent.

In the past, the city considered ensuring the development of the building by cooperating with development firms. However, the current city leadership, based on a legal analysis, concluded that it would be risky and decided on a direct purchase. According to today's resolution, the building will be managed by the city company Trade Center Prague (TCP), which, in cooperation with the municipal property department, will also prepare an economic model for its further use.

The step taken by the city was appreciated by Deputy Mayor of Prague 3 Pavel Dobeš (STAN). "The building is key to the development of the entire area. If a new city district with about ten thousand apartments is to grow here, then it is necessary for the building to become a cultural and social center; sufficient transport services, educational capacities, and other public amenities must be built here," he stated.

The city plans to lead about a two-kilometer tram line through the station area, which will connect it from the west to Jana Želivského Street and from the east to Jarov. It will partially utilize existing railway tracks. The transport company plans to start construction of the line next year. The new Jarovská Street will then connect the district to the planned section of the inner ring and relieve traffic on Jana Želivského Street.

The functionalist building of the Žižkov Freight Station was built between 1934 and 1937 according to the project by architects Karel Caivas and Vladimír Weiss and has been a protected monument since 2013. The granting of protection followed long-standing struggles by local residents and activists against developers' plans to demolish the building. The building is now largely empty, with several businesses and an art studio located inside. Trains ceased to operate at the station definitively on January 1, 2016.