Historical train station in Ústí n.O. will remain the property of ČD for now

Pardubice - The historic railway building in Ústí nad Orlicí will not be transferred to the Administration of Railway Transport Routes (SŽDC). It will remain the property of Czech Railways for now, and discussions will continue about who could take over the unused 19th-century building and give it a new purpose. Tomáš Čoček, Deputy Minister of Transport, said this today at a conference on the development of railway infrastructure in Pardubice.
Railway buildings in the Czech Republic are to be taken over by SŽDC from Czech Railways. They are awaiting a statement from the European Commission on the conditions under which the transfers of property will be approved. The railways wanted to demolish the building in Ústí nad Orlicí because they had no use for it, but its designation as a cultural monument on the suggestion of the association "We Won't Give Up the Station!" saved it from demolition.
"If I may speak for the Ministry of Transport, the building no longer has transport significance and is not usable. It is up to the city, the Ministry of Culture, and Czech Railways to decide what to do with the building next," said Čoček.
Pavel Surý, General Director of SŽDC, confirmed to ČTK today that at least in the first phase, the organization will not take over the railway building. "What will happen afterwards, I do not know," Surý said. Currently, construction workers are modernizing the railway corridor in Ústí nad Orlicí, and the work is expected to be completed soon. SŽDC has built a new dispatcher building. The historic station unusually stands in the track bed and is more difficult to access.
Civil associations SPOUSTI and "We Won't Give Up the Station!" recently proposed creating a non-profit organization to save the unused station building. It should bring together the Ústí municipality, Pardubice region, Czech Railways as the property owner, and SŽDC. Although the institutions did not directly reject their initiative, they are approaching it cautiously.
"We are prepared to sell or lease the building under usual commercial terms to interested parties who can use the property for new purposes. Naturally, it could also be a non-profit organization," said Czech Railways spokesperson Petr Šťáhlavský recently, stating that they are not considering participation in a non-profit organization.
The original station from 1874 is one of the oldest station buildings in the country. It was created according to the design of architect Rudolf Frey. The building, with an H-shaped floor plan and stone cornices, is constructed of common brick, while the upper floors are made of less common half-timbered construction. It is interesting, among other things, because it stands in the middle of the track bed and is passable so that dispatchers and passengers can walk to both sides.