Supporters of the train station in the center of Brno criticize the region

Brno - The Alliance of Citizens for the Station in the Center criticizes the approach of the South Moravian Region, whose councilors prioritized the train station in a relocated position at the site of the freight railway station over the station in the center when addressing the modernization of the Brno railway junction. According to the alliance, the region did not ascertain the stance of the inhabitants who commute to Brno daily. Therefore, its representatives plan to attend the regional council meeting on Monday, where they want to appeal to the councilors to postpone the decision and conduct a public opinion survey, Radek Kubala, a representative of the alliance, said today at a press conference.

According to him, it is essential that the decision-making takes into account the travelers whom the station serves. The dispute over the relocation has been ongoing in Brno for nearly 100 years. It is certain that the station has ceased to have sufficient capacity, which is why it is necessary to build a new one soon.

The region, which has an advisory vote similar to the city and the Railway Infrastructure Administration before the government decides, only consulted mayors, from whom it received a minimal number of responses, and only one clearly expressed support for the station in the center. "Mayors have enough of their own issues. It is unacceptable for the region to decide on such a significant investment without conducting an information campaign among citizens and determining their opinion," Kubala stated.

Brno will initiate a public opinion survey in the coming days, even though the Office of the Architect of the City of Brno has clearly stated that it prefers the relocation of the station. "The architect's wording is very similar to that of all proponents of the station's relocation in Brno, including some of the arguments. For instance, that the current location is a barrier to the development of the Southern Central area, even though that will develop in both cases, and the new station in the center will be traversable," said Miroslav Patrik, who is also a member of the Children of the Earth association. He emphasized that the interests of travelers should play a primary role in decision-making, which he believes is not happening.

As a long-term proponent of the station in the center, he perceives that political sentiments are leaning towards relocation both in the city and at the regional level. "We will appeal to the region to ask the people, and we will lobby at the national and European levels for the station in the center. We will point out that there is a contradiction between the efforts of politicians and citizens," Patrik mentioned about the roughly 60,000 residents of Brno who voted in favor of the station in the center in a referendum two years ago. The outcome was not binding, as only a quarter of voters participated.

Proponents of the station in the center argue that feasibility studies have proven that this solution is better from a transport perspective. Four experts approached by the city expressed similar views in their assessments and recommended that the city not relocate the station. The study indicates that travel times by train will be reduced in both cases; however, for subsequent public transport connections, the station in the center is better. It offers a shorter and quicker route to most destinations, with more lines serving it and requiring fewer transfers. This solution also came out better in terms of overall benefits and economic efficiency in the feasibility study.

Patrik questioned the procedural advantages that proponents of the relocation rely on, namely the ability to build sooner and faster, thereby utilizing European funds. "The territorial proceedings for the relocated station have been dragging on since 2005 and are still not concluded. I consider the initiation in 2020 to be illusory. On the other hand, there is no reason why the station in the center should be built only in 2028. The city's zoning plan changed after the government's decision to relocate the station within two years, and within three years, the territorial proceedings already began," Patrik stated.