The repair of Fantova building at the main station will be completed in 2022

Prague - The reconstruction of the historic Fantova building at Prague's main train station is expected to be completed in 2022. The railway administration will spend 730 million crowns on it. This was stated by Tomáš Drmola, Deputy of the Railway Infrastructure Administration for asset management, at today's meeting with journalists.

This February, the railway administrator will announce a tender for the selection of a contractor for the project documentation for the first phase of repairs, which includes the restoration of the historic facade, windows, doors, roofing, and the modification and repair of public areas. Construction is set to begin in 2018.

In 2019, construction work on the second phase is expected to commence, which includes the completion of the reconstruction and repair of the remaining interior parts of the Fantova building. All publicly accessible spaces will be restored to their original state, while other spaces will be renovated to a new condition corresponding to future use. Furthermore, all utilities and technical equipment of the building, as well as the electrical installations, will be completely renewed. The tender for the preparation of project documentation is expected to start this April.

The reconstruction of the exterior of the historic building is projected to cost 210 million crowns, while the costs for the work inside have been estimated by SŽDC to be 520 million crowns.

Last autumn, SŽDC terminated the lease agreement for the station with the company Grandi Stazioni, which failed to complete the complex in time. SŽDC paid the company 565 million crowns as compensation for verifiable costs incurred during the reconstruction, while it is suing the Italian firm for an additional 200 million crowns. Grandi Stazioni had rented the station since 2003 in exchange for the renovation of the facility. If they had managed to complete the reconstruction by October 16 last year, they would have gained the right to lease the station premises for another 30 years.