The reconstruction of the railway in Brno will begin at the earliest in the second half of 2007

Brno - The reconstruction of the Brno railway junction will be delayed by almost a year, starting at the earliest in the second half of next year. It will depend on the State Transport Infrastructure Fund, which currently holds about 260 million, while 800 million will be needed for the reconstruction in 2007, said Deputy Mayor Miroslav Hošek to reporters today. By the end of this year, the territorial planning process should be completed, followed by a request for a building permit.
    The project, which plans to construct a new train station approximately one kilometer from the current one, was originally set to begin this year. The city is now continuing to acquire the necessary land. Part of it is already owned by the city, while other areas are owned by Czech Railways and the city company South Center. According to Hošek, 20 to 40 percent of the required area still needs to be acquired. In the first phase, a storage station should be built at a cost of about 800 million. The entire adjustment of the railway track and the construction of new buildings is expected to cost almost 25 billion crowns.
    Up to 85 percent of the costs for railway constructions are intended to be funded by the state from the European Union. "However, until the territorial planning process is completed, the drawing of European funds is never certain," stated Hošek. Even if the union ultimately does not contribute to the reconstruction of the junction, the state must finance it, according to the deputy. "It is an investment of exceptional importance," he believes.
    In Brno, two important corridors – Gdańsk-Vienna and Berlin-Athens – should intersect. Both railway axes have been included among the 30 priority European projects by a decision of the European Parliament.
    According to Brno councilors, the current shape of the junction from the first half of the 19th century is chaotic and blocks the development of the city. The current station is reportedly also failing to meet technical conditions for the introduction of modern high-speed trains. "Recently, a high-ranking official from Brussels visited Brno precisely because of the junction. He was astonished, for example, how it is possible that the journey from Brno to Vienna takes such an incredibly long time," noted the deputy governor of South Moravia, Milan Venclík.
    Hošek pointed out that investors have been increasingly inquiring about the reconstruction lately. "The new layout of the Brno railway will be important for their business in the city," he asserts. Discussions about the reconstruction of the railway junction in Brno have been ongoing for several years. The main controversy centers on the relocation of the station itself. Opponents point to the high cost of construction, which will also move the main train station further from the city center.