Minister Bendl will enter the dispute over the Orlickoústecké train station

Ústí nad Orlicí - Minister of Transportation Petr Bendl (ODS) will engage in the dispute over the fate of the train station building in Ústí nad Orlicí, which is threatened with demolition. The planned demolition of the historic 19th-century structure is part of a project to realign the railway track in Ústí nad Orlicí. So far, around 15,000 people have signed an online petition in support of preserving the building. Bendl will arrive in Ústí nad Orlicí on Friday. "The minister wants to get acquainted with the dispute that the region is living through. No decision has yet been made regarding the demolition of the building," said ministry spokesperson Martin Kupka to ČTK today.
    Representatives of the investor, the Railway Administration (SŽDC), and other experts, including an architect, will participate in the meeting to assess whether it makes sense to save the station and whether the project can be realized without its demolition.
    The initiator of the petition, Martin Kadrman, who founded the civic association We Won't Give Up the Station! to save the building, is pleasantly surprised by Bendl's interest. "None of us expected that he would want to address the station issue so soon after his appointment. His determination tells us that he cares about the fate of this beautiful building and wants to get personally involved," Kadrman told ČTK.
    There are similar examples of saving old train station buildings abroad. In Zurich, there is an underpass leading to the station that allows vehicles of the integrated rescue system to pass through. This year, they will also complete the renovation of a train station in Switzerland, specifically in Olten, which, like the Orlickoústecká building, is situated between the tracks, Kadrman noted.
    According to him, it is worth preserving the station from 1874 based on the design by architect Rudolf Frey. The double station, with an H-shaped floor plan and stone cornices, is made of brick masonry, while the upper floors are constructed with less common half-timbered masonry.
    SŽDC expects to start work on it this September. The modernization of the railway line, including the construction of a new station, will cost 2.4 billion crowns, and the investor aims to seek up to a 50% European grant next year.
    SŽDC spokesman Pavel Halla stated some time ago that the station between the tracks does not meet safety standards. Even a study from 2000, which planned for the preservation of the building, has become outdated over the years, particularly due to flood protection measures.