The relocation of the train station in Brno seems to be definitive; the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) also agrees

Brno - It seems that the relocation of the Brno train station has been definitively decided. The analysis of two variants for the placement of the new railway station in Brno does not affect the move in any way. The investor of the reconstruction of the Brno railway junction (ŽUB), which is the Czech Republic's Railway Administration (SŽDC), continues with the original project of the station located about 800 meters away from the existing building. This was stated to journalists today after the meeting of the committee on the reconstruction of ŽUB by SŽDC General Director Jan Komárek. The Brno ČSSD also announced that it would not obstruct the relocation, as any delays could jeopardize the drawing of EU funds.
    From the analysis that compared this project with an alternative solution featuring a station next to the existing building, only some insights will be used to improve the technical parameters of the documentation. "The outcome of the committee meeting is clear. We are guided by the resolution of the government that established this committee and we continue according to the valid schedule. We have examined the analysis provided to us by the city and see certain aspects that can be used to optimize this project," said Komárek. According to the Mayor of Brno, Roman Onderka (ČSSD), the concerns mainly relate to the questions of the northern railway entrance to Brno, the freight bypass, and the feasibility study.
    The committee did not discuss the so-called shifted position of the new station, which would be located about 200 meters from the current building. "It should be said that the location of the station was decided by the then city leadership eight years ago. The shifted position is a matter that is about nine months old, as it was proposed by the Green Party as some kind of electoral goal. However, the city of Brno is not the main investor in this project; that is the SŽDC, and indirectly the Ministry of Transport," Onderka told ČTK.
    As part of the project to reconstruct the ŽUB, whose budget has been reduced from the original 30 billion to 20 billion koruna over the course of four years, the city of Brno will only finance the construction of urban infrastructure at an estimated cost of about three billion koruna. "These are the things that will be built in the southern center of the city, whether the station is there or not. The main investor must decide on the location of the station, and that decision has already been made," the mayor added.
    According to him, the analysis commissioned by the city leadership during the summer did not seek the best location for the station but aimed to improve the existing project. "In this analysis, we were looking to see if our past criticisms were valid when we said that the freight bypass is not optimal or that the feasibility study is outdated. This analysis confirmed that these are problematic areas. The SŽDC acknowledged these arguments and shortcomings, and they are starting to work on these issues," Onderka said. He also stated that the analysis was a key condition for Brussels to provide funding for this project.
    The chances of opposers to the station's relocation are almost zero after today's committee meeting. Only the Green Party and Jiří Zlatuška's Brno 2006 team, who hold only ten seats in the fifty-five member council, advocate for the construction of a new station in the city center. Conversely, the Civic Democrats, the Christian Democrats, and the Communists have long supported the relocated position. The only ones who have not openly taken a stance on any variant are the Social Democrats.
    However, according to Onderka, the party leadership agreed on Thursday that they would not advocate for a change to the existing project in the council. "Any actions that would be taken to cancel this project would, in no way, be able to set a different project in motion. We are therefore extremely worried that we would not receive funds from Brussels and that nothing would be built in Brno," added Onderka, who today also called on the SŽDC to gather all information regarding the possibility of financing the reconstruction project from Brussels.