Šimonovský presented the EU reconstruction of the railway junction in Brno

BRUSSELS - Transport Minister Milan Šimonovský today presented the reconstruction project
of the railway hub in Brno. The Czech Republic aims to obtain a total of 207 million euros, approximately six billion crowns, from European funds for this controversial project costing nearly 25 billion crowns.
The entire construction, however, raises significant emotions due to its financial demands, which Šimonovský experienced today at the permanent Czech representation in Brussels when he had to face "tough" questions from representatives of non-profit organizations and even a Member of the European Parliament from the German Green Party. In his brief speech, he pointed out that the Czech Republic must be a very wealthy country if it can afford to pay such a huge amount for relocating a train station just one kilometer.
The relocation of the station from the center of the South Moravian metropolis has been the main reason for the conflict between opponents and supporters of the construction for several years. The year before last, petitions against the relocation were being collected, and a referendum was even declared in the autumn. About 85 percent of participants in that referendum rejected the project. However, only a quarter of the city's residents participated in the plebiscite, so its result was not binding.
Šimonovský defends the entire project, stating that Brno will not only receive a completely new and advanced main train station building but also the construction of a new railway transit through the city and other railway structures. On European soil, he often emphasized that Brno is an important railway junction in Central Europe.
It intersects with the corridor connecting Slovakia and Germany, as well as the route leading to Polish Katowice.