A new covered bus terminal has been opened in Strakonice

Strakonice - The company ČSAD STTRANS today opened a new bus terminal in Strakonice with covered platforms and dozens of parking spaces for passengers. Test operation will start on December 8 with changes to the timetables. Vladimír Warisch, the company's director, told ČTK. The terminal includes ten bus stops for boarding and alighting passengers. The centerpiece of the terminal is a steel structure with lighting, and there are snow guards on the roof. The construction took a year and cost 55.1 million crowns, with the company receiving a subsidy of 40 million from the European IROP program.

The covered terminal is next to the train station. "The area of the entire bus station has been reduced, so it is now much less walking for people from one connection to another; it's just a few steps. And mainly, it's really just a few steps from the train to the bus, that was the main reason (for the construction)," said Warisch. Part of the 1.2-hectare facility also includes parking spaces for passengers, which did not exist at the station before. There are now 53 public parking spots, 26 monitored spots in the ČSAD STTRANS area, and spots for taxis.

All ten platforms are covered, including access to the underpass to the trains. Four K+R spots are also covered. "When you take someone to the train or bus, you can load and unload them under the roof in dry conditions and then leave," said Warisch.

The builders from the company Hochtief CZ demolished two old station buildings during the construction of the terminal and excavated 10,000 cubic meters of soil. During construction, movement around the site was restricted, but now people can pass through the area normally.

Next year, the Railway and Transport Administration (SŽDC) will begin modernizing the dispatch station building, where facilities for train and bus passengers will be created. "There will be all the amenities for passengers of both train and bus transport. During the reconstruction, we will operate our building with a waiting room and facilities at the old bus station. People will have to walk a bit further, it will last a year, then they will have everything under one roof," added Warisch.

In South Bohemia, two more modernized bus stations are expected to start operating by the end of the year. The construction in Český Krumlov is managed by the municipal company Českokrumlovský rozvojový fond, and in Prachatice by the company ČSAD Autobusy.