SŽDC is working on the clearance and preservation of signal boxes at the station in Brno

Brno - Following the decision to preserve signal boxes 4 and 5 at Brno's main station, dating back to the late 19th century, the Railway Administration (SŽDC) is now clearing the buildings and working on their conservation. This is crucial for ensuring that the building remains intact until a decision is made about its future, and to prevent anyone from breaking in, said the Infrastructure Operations Deputy Pavel Šprdlík to reporters today.

The current condition reflects how the construction company prepared the building for demolition, before SŽDC reassessed its plans at the request of heritage protectors. "We will clear the building of waste, re-glaze some windows, and secure it. The decision to preserve it was made a few days ago, so the question of the future is what will happen to the signal box," said Šprdlík.

Until mid-December, employees were working in the building to switch tracks and establish train routes. Currently, during the year-long shutdown, a new building is being constructed behind platform six for the placement of technology and employees who will manage operations throughout the station area. The first technologies are expected to start being installed by the end of the month.

The operation of trains currently hinders the use of the signal boxes, which will remain silent until a later future, if a new relocated station can be constructed and put into operation. "Access to the signal box will never be across the tracks; cooperation with the city and access from Uhelná Street is a possibility," said Šprdlík.

Heritage protectors have sought to save the signal boxes to preserve the ensemble that includes the viaduct of the original railway from the 1830s, which was later filled in and expanded in the same century, the Malá Amerika warehouse, the viaducts over Křídlovická and Hybešova streets, and the coal station. "The viaduct was also filled in the 1890s because the Northern Railway of Emperor Ferdinand needed more space. At that time, the Malá Amerika was constructed as one of the most modern warehouses. Everything was built of red brick," said Alena Borovcová from the National Heritage Institute.

According to her, the signal boxes are valuable also because they are unique and have not existed anywhere else. "Moreover, everywhere on the railway, signaling devices are being modernized; electromechanical ones are disappearing along with the signal boxes. Therefore, it is good to preserve some for the future," said Borovcová.

The technology from the decommissioned signal boxes in Brno has also been preserved. Railway enthusiasts from the Hradlo Marefy association in Vyškov have purchased it. The electromechanical signaling devices had been in use in Brno since the 1970s; prior to that, original mechanical systems with wire connections were present.