Prague announced a competition for the design of the vicinity and hall of the main train station

Prague - The Prague municipal office, the public transport company (DPP), and the Railway Administration (SŽ) today announced a competition for the design of planned adjustments around the area and the new hall of the main train station. Their representatives told this to journalists. The proposal is to include three major projects - the construction of a tram line and adjustments to Vrchlický Sady, which the municipal office plans, and the reconstruction of the new check-in hall of the station, which is being prepared by SŽ. The results will be known around the middle of next year, and construction could begin in 2025 or 2026.

The competition will take the form of a competitive dialogue, in which experts and representatives from the municipal office, the public transport company, SŽ, and other stakeholders will participate in preparation with designers. Interested parties can already apply for the first round, from which five advancing teams will emerge in September to start preparing proposals. In December, the number will decrease to three, and in the spring of next year, the jury is expected to select the winner.

"That area has long been a blemish on our city, I wouldn't hesitate to say it was rather a disgrace," said Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) regarding the surroundings of the main station. He referred to the poor reputation of Vrchlický Sady, which locals have nicknamed Sherwood due to the number of homeless people and drug addicts, as well as the tram stop relatively distant from the station.

Transport is expected to improve with the tram line, which will run from Vinohradská Street directly through the gardens around the station and connect to the current tracks in Bolzanova Street. Originally, the city considered routing the tram along Opletalova Street, but according to Deputy Mayor Petr Hlaváček (TOP 09), this ran into noise limits. Tracks had previously run around the station but were removed in 1978, according to DPP's technical director for surface transport, Jan Šurovský, without a valid reason.

Architects and urban planners will seek solutions for the entire area of Vrchlický Sady, including adjacent public spaces. On the eastern side, the area is bounded by the western edge of Wilsonova Street and the new check-in hall of the station. On the southern side, it encompasses a corner of the original park area and ends at the corner of Wenceslas Square. The western side is formed by buildings on Washingtonova and Opletalova streets. On the northern side, the area is bounded by buildings on Bolzanova. The competition will not concern the main road.

According to the press, which was recently approved by Prague representatives, the city estimates the costs of constructing the tracks and adjusting the park to be over half a billion crowns. How much the reconstruction of the new check-in hall of the station will cost is currently unknown, according to SŽ director Jiří Svoboda. The current parking lot is expected to be moved underground from the hall's roof, and what will replace it will emerge from the competitive dialogue. Interest in it has already been confirmed by dozens of world architectural firms, according to the competition guarantor, architect Jakub Cígler.