Masaryk Railway Station is scheduled for reconstruction next year

Prague - The Masaryk Station in Prague is set to undergo repairs in the near future. The company Masaryk Station Development (MSD) plans to start modifications to the station building, central hall, entrance, and passage next year. In the next phase, the developer intends to occupy most of the station's area. Jan Hromádka from MSD mentioned this today at a city hall workshop dedicated to planned changes in Prague's railway transport. The main building and the ticket hall of the station are state-protected monuments.
    "The initial phase project is already prepared; we are now starting the construction process," said Hromádka. Construction could begin next year, with the completion expected by 2010. MSD, where the Czech Railways holds a stake, plans investments across the entire area of the current Masaryk Station. "The primary goal of the developer is to implement the first phase," clarified Hromádka. In this phase, the company aims to use about 90 percent of the current Masaryk Station area to build new buildings with apartments and shops. The remaining areas should continue to be used for railway transport.
    If Masaryk Station is closed in the future, a park will be created instead of the tracks. For construction to take place on the station's territory, the capital must change the zoning plan. The first step towards that was taken by the city council last week when it approved a proposal for its amendment.
    In the coming years, the closure of "Masaryčka," which is used by around 30,000 passengers daily, is not planned. "It is not possible to close Masaryk Station without a replacement," said Bořek Votava, director of the city's development department. According to councilor Martin Langmajer (ODS), however, the current form of the station hinders the city's development.
    He advocates for the construction of a railway tunnel from Karlín to Smíchov, a project he refers to as "Prague's S-Bahn." This could replace Masaryk Station in the future. However, according to him, this is a matter of about twenty years and will require investments of several tens of billions of crowns. "The construction of Metro Line D, which must connect the S-Bahn, is also necessary," emphasized Langmajer.
    According to him, strengthening railway transport is the only way to ensure access to the center of Prague for surrounding cities and reduce car traffic. "For example, the congestion charge system in London has not proven effective; the number of cars has stabilized at original levels," stated the councilor. However, he does not dismiss the congestion charge system, seeing it as a potential improvement to the city's budget.
    He also does not see the possibility of increasing public transport in the city center. "We know 100 percent that we cannot build new tram lines in the city center," Langmajer said. In this context, he did not rule out that Wenceslas Square might remain without trams even after the planned reconstruction. "The city and the city district of Prague 1 do not insist on trams in Wenceslas Square," he stated. However, according to him, the Prague public transport company would welcome them.
    Masaryk Station was the first railway station in Prague, completed in 1845. Today, it is one of the oldest preserved monuments of its kind in Europe. The station is also the busiest station for urban and suburban train connections in Prague. Reports of its potential closure have met with disapproval from the mayors of Central Bohemian municipalities and numerous citizens.