Brno councilors want to keep the station in its displaced position

Brno - Brno city councillors continue to advocate for a new railway station in a relocated position near the Svratka River even after familiarizing themselves with the studies of both variants, including the variant under Petrov. Today, they approved this stance as a council resolution. This was reported in a press release by Deputy Mayor Robert Kotzian (ODS).
    "The development of both variants has demonstrated the possibility of reconstructing the Brno railway node in both options. From an objective perspective, it is clear that with the support of European co-financing in the current programming period and with knowledge of all the impacts of the solution on the city's development, only the reconstruction of the node with the station by the river is feasible," Kotzian stated.
    The discussion about moving the station in Brno began even before World War II, and the current debate started in the early 2000s. If the station were to be built approximately 800 meters south of the current one, construction could begin as early as 2018, while the option under Petrov would only be considered a few years later due to its lesser advancement. Costs are estimated at 20 billion crowns.
    The variant under Petrov, advocated by the Civic Coalition Station in the Center, presents several problems according to the city. For example, only the option of the moved station is included in the urban planning document. "It would disrupt the approved urban planning concept of the city, and there is a risk of necessary compensation for property damage to owners whose land use in the urban plan would change," Kotzian noted. The station under Petrov would limit housing in the South Center, it would be necessary to relocate engineering networks, and the impact of the project on the city's transport and technical infrastructure would need to be assessed.
    Kotzian also pointed out the need to build tunnels under the historical core. Additionally, when constructing the high-speed rail line from Prague, the Hobrtenky area, the Podkomorské lesy natural park, and the Žebětín district would be affected.
    The variant by the river also accounts for the "Brno metro," known as the North-South Diameter, which would hide rail transport underground in the northern part of the city, with trains emerging again in the southeastern part. During the so-called zero phase of the station's construction, a concrete shell would be created under the new station through which the diameter would run. However, according to today's council stance, the diameter is not essential for future transport in the city, and the submitted study does not include it in the transport technological assessment as it is not planned in the medium-term horizon.
    The councillors also emphasized the necessity of modernizing the railway node as soon as possible. The current station is already unable to accommodate more trains, even though passenger demand has been increasing in recent years.