The relocation of the main train station to the river has been discussed in Brno for over 90 years

Prague - An overview of information about the plans to relocate the main train station in Brno (The Central Commission of the Ministry of Transport today recommended to the government that today's lower station be designated as the site for the construction of the new Brno train station):

- The current main train station in Brno has been located practically in the same place near the city center since the railway began operations in 1839. Together with the station in Břeclav, it was the first on the territory of present-day Czech Republic. However, nothing from the original building has survived, as it was oriented perpendicular to the tracks that terminated here. The second building, which emerged in the first half of the 1840s, is today part of the southeastern wing. With the development of railway transport, the station expanded in the following decades, acquiring its current Art Nouveau appearance during the renovation from 1902 to 1905.

- The insufficient capacity of the station, where gradually other new lines converged, began to be addressed in the 1920s. In an urban design competition for a new vision of Brno in 1927, the proposal that ranked highest suggested building a station about 500 meters further south, by the northern bank of the Svratka River. At the same time, the idea of a comprehensive reconstruction of the somewhat chaotically developed Brno railway junction began to be considered; an architectural competition was announced that envisioned the construction of new passenger and freight stations south of the Svratka.

- Another competition in 1933 for the vision of Brno came up with four variants for the station, in addition to expanding the existing one, three options for a new location emerged. Among them was the option to build a new station nearly a kilometer further south, in the area of the so-called lower or Rosice station. This station was used in the first decades of railway operation by passengers on the line to Zastávka u Brna, but since the late 1870s, with few exceptions, it has only served freight transport.

- With the looming war, however, plans for a significant reconstruction of the Brno railway network fell by the wayside. Although new sections were built (notably the double-tracked express route through Tišnov to Havlíčkův Brod), thoughts about building a new station quieted for more than 20 years. However, a competition announced by the Brno city council in 1966 again contemplated that a new station would be built where the lower station is located. A legacy of these plans is the current bus station at Zvonařka, with its first part opening in 1978.

- After November 1989, discussions about the railway junction in Brno resumed, and the considered options are practically the same as those in the mid-1930s. Thus, either a reconstruction of the current station and possible expansion in its immediate vicinity, or the relocation of the station to the south - either to the site of the lower station or slightly further north and closer to the center. In both cases, it would connect to the already existing tracks and be constructed on undeveloped parcels. Ultimately, work began on the option at the site of the Rosice station.

- Plans to move the station a kilometer closer to the river have become one of the main political issues in Brno over the past quarter-century. Two local referendums were even held on the matter, initiated by opponents of the relocation. However, neither voting reached the required number of voters; participation was about 25 percent in 2004 and about one percent lower in October 2016. Neither referendum was binding, although over four-fifths of participants voted for keeping the station in the center in both cases.

- Opponents of the relocation, who advocate for building a station under Petrov near the current station, point out that the new station will have worse connections to public transport. The original station is also directly linked to the historic center. According to a recent study by the Railway Infrastructure Administration, the displaced option has the advantage of being more prepared and having the possibility of construction commencing about a few years earlier. Supporters of the relocation also argue that the new station would contribute to the development of the previously neglected area. Estimates suggest that the option by the river would cost between 42 and 45 billion crowns, while under Petrov it would range from 42 to 56 billion.

- This year, the possibility of constructing a new station came closer. First, in January, the South Moravian Region supported the relocation of the main station to the river, the municipal council of the Brno-střed district expressed its support for the same option in mid-February, and Brno city councilors also supported the relocation. In March, the managing board of the Brno railway junction, established by the Minister of Transport, also endorsed the relocation of the station. The Central Commission of the Ministry of Transport today recommended to the government that the site for the construction of the new Brno station be designated as the lower station. However, it selected a sub-option without an underground railway, differing from what Brno and the South Moravian Region preferred.