The main work on the modernization of the railway hub in Pardubice will be completed by the end of the year

Pardubice - The main work on the modernization of the railway hub in Pardubice will be completed by the end of this year. Construction work is coordinated so that operations are not interrupted, but such a large project cannot go without occasional disruptions, said the main construction manager Martin Vraščák to reporters today. The modernization of the hub will cost 6.366 billion crowns, with previous investments representing about 70 percent of the costs. Work began in September 2020. According to Minister of Transport Martin Kupka (ODS), the schedule is being met, which is complicated for such a project.

"There was an adjusted timetable and the construction phases are adapted to it. We are located in a built-up area of the city; accesses here are not easy, to get the equipment here, we had to create temporary railway crossings. The most complicated part is ensuring compliance with the deadlines and maintaining train services," said the construction manager.

Initially, the work focused mainly on safety equipment, traction power lines, and bridges. The station will have modern safety equipment, with the entire system controlled from Prague. Extensive work at the station began in 2021.

According to representatives of the construction company and the Railway Administration (SŽ), everything will be completed 90 percent by the end of the year. A milestone is the middle of the year, when the repair of the fourth platform will end by June 30, and the construction of the new fifth platform will be completed. By the end of the year, the construction company will also modernize the third platform. "We need to relieve the tracks for long-distance traffic; we have always struggled with this. The capacity will be more comfortable for us," said the general director of SŽ Jiří Svoboda.

Next year, construction workers will finish platform 1A and the connection of the second track into Rosice nad Labem. The pedestrian bridge, which will span the tracks at Dukla, will have a steel structure this year. "At the end of the year, we will begin installing elevators and escalators; the bridge is expected to be operational by the end of April 2024," Vraščák said.

According to Minister Kupka, only partial repairs were made in Pardubice since the 1960s, and the station has long struggled to manage the influx of trains. "Despite the technical demands of the four-year ongoing construction, we are managing to ensure smooth operations at the station. The schedule is being met, and for this construction, it is an extremely complicated matter," Kupka said.

A new feature of the entire investment could be the construction of a completely new stop, Pardubice Centrum. It was not originally included in the hub modernization project. Estimated costs are currently 80 million crowns.

"We have approached the region and the city to contribute to the financial solution to make it happen without further complications for passengers. We should start on July 1, so that the construction does not delay the complete completion of the Pardubice hub," Kupka said.

According to the minister, the construction could come in cheaper than the estimates. "I have been instructed to reduce costs; we are now looking at savings of ten to 15 million crowns," Svoboda added.

In addition to the modernization of the hub, workers are repairing the former hotel with a restaurant, which will cost around 600 million crowns. The Railway Administration is expected to take over the building on September 1 of this year. In the basement, where the former cinema was located, there will be a multifunctional hall, and the sculpture of the winged wheel, a symbol of the railway, will return there. Instead of a buffet in the station hall, there will be a private dining room for the Railway Administration. There will also be a restaurant for passengers downstairs.

The SŽ will use the building for training and retraining, with some employees moving there from various centers across the country; there will also be accommodation rooms.

The station and hotel is one of the most significant post-war Functionalist buildings, designed by architects Karel Řepa, together with Josef Danda and Karel Kalvoda. The state contract was designed at the end of the 1940s, and construction lasted until 1958.

Due to heritage protection, construction companies must proceed cautiously. Original materials have been preserved, or they are replaced with historic replicas. "All elements are consulted with heritage experts; the roughness of surfaces, color shades. The door frames are not typical, and the entire building contains an architectural element of rounding, which is also visible on the facade strips; the corners are rounded," said the director of the high-rise building, Martin Fibich.

After the completion of the large investment by the Railway Administration, there will still be work to do in Pardubice. The station building and its wings remain. This year, the state enterprise intends to announce a tender for reconstruction. "This will also be very complicated; it is a landmark and a nostalgia. Now some are calling it a retro station, I admit that we are not offended by it," Svoboda said.