The upper station in K. Vary will have a new building after years of delays

Karlovy Vary - Karlovy Vary will finally see a new terminal building at the upper train station after years. It is expected to cost 46.5 million crowns and will be completed by Czech Railways in 2012. The current devastated building will be demolished and replaced with a modern two-story structure with rounded shapes. Construction is expected to start in the spring of next year, said Milan Matzenauer, Deputy General Director of Czech Railways, to the press today.
According to him, this is a significant event because new train stations are practically not being built nowadays. The current building was originally supposed to be renovated by the company Grandi Stazioni, which is also renovating Wilson Station in Prague and the station in Mariánské Lázně. However, for economic reasons, they backed out of the renovation in Karlovy Vary and agreed with Czech Railways on compensation of 46.5 million crowns.
The amount of 46.5 million crowns was also the task for the designer. "Renovating the old building from the turn of the 40s and 50s would be significantly more expensive. Therefore, we decided to build a new, modern building that connects to the area in front of the station," said project author architect Petr Franta.
The two-story building has a shape reminiscent of a kidney, with rounded walls that respect the climatic conditions of Karlovy Vary. According to the project, there will be a glazed atrium inside, illuminated by a glass ceiling, with access to the platforms from the upper floor, and then the ČD center. The building will also offer spaces for commercial services, an information center, and similar facilities. As part of the construction, Czech Railways will also renovate neighboring buildings where the signaling equipment of the Railway Infrastructure Administration (SŽDC) is located.
The project also includes other investments in the area, but these will not be financed by Czech Railways. These include a footbridge over the tracks to the Růžový vrch housing estate and improvements in front of the station. Both of these projects are to be carried out by the city. Mayor Werner Hauptmann said today that the city will definitely join the project, and he believes that it will do so regardless of the outcome of the municipal elections. "We have supported this plan from the beginning. It's just a pity it didn't come five years ago," Hauptmann remarked. The city is expected to invest tens of millions of crowns into the footbridge and surrounding improvements, although they are likely not to cost more than the station building itself.
The last part of the station improvements will be the reconstruction of the track and platforms. However, this is managed by SŽDC and they do not have the funds for the improvements. Just in the first phase, the modernization would cost about 246 million crowns and nearly half a billion in total. According to current information, the improvements will definitely not be made by 2018. However, an even later date is not certain. "Unfortunately, the reconstruction of the tracks would not be economically viable according to the study. Therefore, it cannot be included among projects funded by European Union programs," said Jan Veselovský, Deputy Director of the Plzeň SŽDC, to ČTK today.
According to Petr Navrátil, Deputy Governor of the Karlovy Vary Region, it could help if both the city and the Karlovy Vary Region pushed for the reconstruction. "Moreover, I believe that the new building and new trains will attract more passengers and economic considerations may be different in a few years," Navrátil added.