The construction of the station in Brno will not begin for a year, SŽDC did not obtain a decision

Brno - The construction of the new Brno train station will not start next year. The Czech Railway Infrastructure Administration (SŽDC) originally planned to regain the land use decision this year and start construction in the autumn of 2010. However, the missing documents for the continuation of the proceedings, which the Regional Court in Brno interrupted this January for procedural reasons, will not be submitted until the end of the year at the earliest. CTK was informed of this today by the General Director of SŽDC, Jan Komárek.
    "Some things turned out to be more difficult to complete. Nevertheless, there is a chance that we will hand over all the documents whose absence was pointed out to us by the end of the year. Next year, we could acquire not only the land use decision, but also the building permit, and, in an optimal scenario, announce a competition for the contractor," said Komárek. The actual construction would therefore begin at the earliest in the second half of 2011.
    According to Komárek, obtaining the land use decision is a key condition for the state to be able to apply for European subsidies. However, according to Miroslav Patrik from the Children of the Earth organization, the chance of securing billions of crowns from the operational program for transportation is now only hypothetical. He claims that the project does not meet basic conditions, such as the assessment of alternative variants. The Supreme Audit Office also pointed out this shortcoming back in 2007.
    The construction of the new railway station and associated investments are estimated at 20 billion CZK, with the original plans stating that construction should have started in 2006 and finished in 2015. However, since 2007, only a parking station has been built, which is not related to the controversial project of relocating the main station from the center of Brno. The parking station project also includes a washing facility for rail vehicles, which is expected to be completed by June 2010.
    The reconstruction of the Brno railway is one of the most debated construction projects in Brno over the last decade. The project involves relocating the main station about 800 meters south of its current location in the center of Brno, which is opposed by a number of opponents led by the Children of the Earth organization, the Green Party, and the civic association Station in the Center.
    The location of the new station was chosen by the then city leadership ten years ago. It was also approved by the Social Democratic government in 2002. In 2004, the city hall held a referendum. However, only a quarter of voters participated, making the voting invalid, even though more than 80 percent of people were against the relocation.