The government approved the relocation of Brno railway station to the river site. The cost of the reconstruction of the railway junction with this option is estimated to reach around 40 billion CZK. The option selected includes high-speed train lines.
Brno, Jul 11 (BD) – The government’s decision approves previous resolutions passed by the Central Committee of the Ministry of Transport, representatives of the City of Brno, and the Region of South Moravia. Construction on the new station could start in 2020. However, the underground railway agreed by the Brno representatives as one of their conditions for the construction of the new station at the new riverside location, often referred to as the “Brno subway”, was not included in the government’s decision, according to Ondřej Puczok from Czech Television.
On a visit to Brno in May, Acting Prime Minister Andrej Babiš was critical of the estimated cost. “At 46 billion CZK for a train station, you are really surprised by the amount,” said Babiš, quoted in Czech news outlet iDnes.cz (“Nové brněnské nádraží se zdá Babišovi drahé, vláda chce informace”). By comparison, he mentioned that the government plans to renovate 60 railway stations in the Czech Republic, including Havířov and Kolín, for a total of 6 billion CZK.
City mayor Petr Vokřál announced a public vote to choose the name for the new station on June 25. “It’s not possible to keep saying ‘the river option’ – the new Brno railway station needs a name – representative, simple, easy to remember, and unique to Brno. So today, a competition is starting to help us to choose the best name,” Vokřál explained.
Public vote begins to choose a name for the new central station
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