In the building of the Ostrava-Vítkovice train station, there will be a tax office

Ostrava - A branch office of the General Financial Directorate (GFŘ) will be located in the station building of the Ostrava-Vítkovice train station. However, the dilapidated building needs to be repaired first. The reconstruction, which is preliminarily estimated to cost 330 million crowns, should begin next year, with the GFŘ office expected to move into the building at the end of 2023. ČTK was informed of this today by the spokesperson of the state Railway Administration, Marek Illiaš.

The station is on the so-called Polanecká connection, which links the Ostrava stations of Svinov and Kunčice. The building was constructed in the 1960s in the so-called Brussels style, but for the needs of current rail transport, it is oversized and has been deteriorating for years. The administration commissioned an ideational study aimed mainly at finding possibilities for the future use of the station building and also assessing its cultural value. Currently, an administrative procedure is underway to declare the building a cultural monument.

"The best-rated use, which was also positively evaluated by the National Heritage Institute, territorial office in Ostrava, was the use for administrative purposes. For this reason, the spaces were offered for use by the Office for the Representation of the State in Property Matters (ÚZSVM)," Illiaš stated.

After discussions with ÚZSVM, the parties involved decided that a branch office of the GFŘ will be located in the station building starting in December 2023. "Currently, negotiations are underway with the GFŘ to clarify the future contractual relationship," Illiaš stated.

Work on developing the project proposal for the building's reconstruction has already begun. This proposal will serve the Ministry of Transport's commission to decide on financing the repair. Approval of the proposal is expected in the first half of this year according to Illiaš. After the project documentation is processed, a request for a building permit will be submitted.

"If everything proceeds optimally, construction work is expected to begin in the second half of 2021 and be completed no later than October 2023, considering the relocation of the GFŘ office," Illiaš stated.

In addition to GFŘ offices, the station building will also house spaces for, for example, a catering facility, a retail store, and smaller service spaces such as hair salons or massage rooms. Illiaš mentioned that the Railway Administration is negotiating this with the city hall of the Ostrava district of Vítkovice.