Activists want to reopen the station in Ústí n. O. as soon as possible

Ústí nad Orlicí - Activists are buying the train station building in Ústí nad Orlicí. It should serve the public again as soon as possible. Czech Railways is selling it for 1.45 million crowns. The signing of the purchase contract is expected soon, said Martin Kadrman, the director of Oustecké nádraží, today to ČTK. The amount was derived from a tender.

The classicist building was originally supposed to give way to the modernization of the railway; since 2008, Kadrman and others have been striving for its preservation. As a result, it also has heritage protection. The buyer's entity was established by Kadrman last October with three other partners, including documentarian Olga Sommerová.

"We all contributed to the necessary amount according to our ownership shares in the company. I personally had to take out a loan," Kadrman said.

The station building from 1874 is expected to offer restaurant services again, possibly a café or sale of printed materials, as well as waiting room facilities. In the upper floors, there will likely be apartments for permanent living.

The director states that people miss ordinary services at the station, which the new dispatch building does not offer. Benches will also return to the platforms around the old station building. In the future, there could be a summer cinema in the open space, for example. Kadrman expects that tenants will renovate the spaces at their own expense, significantly reducing their rent in the process.

"We are facing the repair of risers, electrical installations, and securing gas supply. The outer shell does not need to be repaired in the coming years; it is not in a state of emergency," Kadrman said.

The building, with a floor plan in the shape of the letter H, designed by architect Rudolf Frey, stands in the middle of the tracks and is passable, which is less common. Passengers have the option to walk to the platforms on either side. After the modernization of the track is completed, an underpass will lead to it.