The station in Ústí will remain standing, but it lacks a purpose

Ústí nad Orlicí - The fighters for the preservation of the railway station building in Ústí nad Orlicí have achieved the almost impossible. They convinced the state and railway organizations to discard the demolition plan for the structure, which was supposed to make way for the straightening of the track. However, there is now a risk that the station will remain isolated between the tracks without significant use, as reported by ČTK.
    The modernization of the railway line, including the construction of a new station, was projected to cost 2.4 billion crowns, and the Railway Infrastructure Administration (SŽDC) aims to seek up to a fifty percent European subsidy next year. SŽDC is capable of modifying the already prepared project so that demolition is not necessary. "With certain conditions for subsequent operation, it is possible to maintain full corridor speed even while retaining the existing dispatch building," said SŽDC spokesman Pavel Halla.
    Czech Railways (ČD) consider the cancellation of the demolition plan to be final. "The building will remain standing, regardless. We are discussing what to do with the building next. According to the project, it would be cut off in the track area, with no access road leading to it. We have no use for it, and it is also a question of how to finance its operation," said ČD spokesman Ondřej Kubala to ČTK, adding that "the ones who want to preserve it must bring life back" to the old station.
    Almost 15,000 people opposed the demolition in an online petition, and an association called "We Will Not Give Up the Station!" was established. The opponents managed to gain support from notable figures like documentary filmmaker Olga Sommerová and the dean of the Faculty of Science at Charles University in Prague, Pavel Kovář. The initiator of the petition and founder of the association Martin Kadrman stated that in two weeks, representatives from the railways, SŽDC, the local municipality, the Ministries of Culture and Transport, and the Pardubice region will meet at a round table to find a common solution. The initiative has not yet sought specific uses, as it was waiting for the outcome of the demolition discussions; generally, Kadrman would consider it possible to have, for example, a railway museum, a shelter, or an information center for the Podorlicko region located in the building. "Access could be resolved by an underpass from the new station," Kadrman told ČTK.
    The neoclassical station was created according to the design of architect Rudolf Frey. The building, with an H-shaped floor plan and stone cornices, is built from clinker brick, with the upper floors made of less common half-timbered construction. According to Kubala, the Ministry of Culture is currently considering declaring the building a cultural monument.