The Railway Administration has started reconstructing the Vsetín railway station for 3.4 billion CZK

Vsetín – The Czech Railways Authority today began reconstructing the Vsetín railway station. The costs are 3.376 billion crowns excluding VAT, and it is expected to be completed by early 2025. The construction will be carried out by a consortium of companies OHL ŽS, Strabag Rail, and AŽD. The new dispatch building, which will replace the current one, will serve as a joint check-in terminal for railway and bus transport. Three platforms will be built, along with new underpasses and a parking garage, said Jiří Svoboda, the General Director of the Czech Railways Authority, to journalists today.

"The main goal of this investment project is to ensure barrier-free access to the new platforms, increase the speed of passing trains, and at the same time enhance the safety of operations," Svoboda stated.

The overall track layout at the station will be changed. Currently, there are eight level platforms, but there will be three newly designed with a total of five boarding edges. The platforms will have a boarding edge height of 550 millimeters above the track with a grade-separated access for passengers. The terminal will have two above-ground and one underground floor, which will be connected to an adjacent underpass.

Rail transport will not be halted due to construction; there may only be partial disruptions. Next year, the demolition of the first part of the station building is expected to start, and another part will follow a year later. The project is designed for co-financing by the European Union from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). Co-financing can be up to 85 percent. National funding is provided by the State Transport Infrastructure Fund.

In cooperation with the city, a parking garage will be built that will serve not only passengers but also increase parking options in the city center. One underpass will lead to the new platforms and ensure a connection between the city center and the local part of Na Lapači. The second underpass will replace the existing crossing on Štěpánská Street and the railway crossing on U Křivačkárny Street, which will be removed.

According to Vsetín Mayor Jiří Růžička (KDU-ČSL), the station reconstruction is a significant milestone for the city, and the project has been in preparation for ten years. "The work will take several years and will bring some challenges in terms of transport. At some point, we will have to close Nádražní Street because an underpass will be constructed leading to the platform area. Nádražní Street will be straightened, and a new terminal will be built," Růžička told ČTK today.

The city is preparing projects in the area in front of and behind the station, where a new feeder road will be created towards Zlín, and there will be a roundabout. A private investor plans to build apartments there, while the city will construct roads and parking lots. Construction work at both locations could start at the end of next year. The city's projects are estimated to cost about 250 million crowns. According to the mayor, the area will change significantly. "The solution is very modern, and I am convinced that it will significantly increase passenger comfort," the mayor stated. He believes this is an important step not only for the city but also for the surrounding municipalities.