The association is once again attempting to save the protected train station in Ústí nad Orlicí.

Ústí nad Orlicí - The non-profit organizations SPOUSTI and We Will Not Give Up the Station! propose creating a non-profit organization to save the unused building of the culturally protected railway station in Ústí nad Orlicí. The organization should bring together the Ústí town hall, the Pardubice Region, Czech Railways as the owner of the property, and the Railway Infrastructure Administration (SŽDC), representatives of both organizations told ČTK today. Although the institutions do not directly reject their initiative, they approach it cautiously.
The object belongs to Czech Railways, which wanted to transfer it to SŽDC. According to the civic associations, the building should be placed into a non-profit organization that would manage it. This organization would have easier access to grants from the European Union, the state, Norwegian funds, or the International Visegrad Fund. "They could be used not only for the reconstruction of the building itself but also for the implementation of various public-benefit projects," stated representatives of the associations Jan Blaško and Martin Kadrman.
"I have some concerns that the non-profit would not solve the problem; rather, it would remain with it. The city or the association would be speaking for the non-profit, not a state organization, which will effectively dispose of the property," said the mayor of Ústí, Petr Hájek (Oušťáci Association), to ČTK. He intends to present the proposal to the council in April.
Czech Railways wanted to demolish the building because they had no use for it; its demolition was prevented by its declaration as a cultural monument based on the proposal from the association We Will Not Give Up the Station! "We are prepared to sell or lease the building on standard commercial terms to interested parties who can use the property for new purposes. Naturally, it could also be a non-profit organization," stated Czech Railways spokesperson Petr Šťáhlavský, adding that they do not consider participating in the non-profit organization.
According to spokesperson Marek Illiaš, SŽDC does not wish to comment on the activities of the associations and is not aware of them. The property does not belong to it and it is not allowed to invest or otherwise manage property owned by others. The Pardubice Region councilor for transportation, Jaromír Dušek (SPO), welcomes the initiative of the associations. In the past, proposals have been made to use the property for a permanent exhibition of railway models, an information center, or a space for the SŽDC archive. "First, however, property relations must be resolved. Unfortunately, the building's status as a protected monument, and the way the Ústí nad Orlicí hub will be reconstructed, limits its utilization and will make it very expensive and difficult in the future," Dušek stated.
A new dispatch building has been serving the public since November, built as part of the modernization of the railway hub in Ústí nad Orlicí. The original station, built in 1874, is one of the oldest station buildings in the Czech Republic. It was designed by architect Rudolf Frey. The building, with an H-shaped floor plan and stone cornices, is constructed of exposed brick; the upper floors are made of less common half-timbered construction. It is interesting, among other things, because it stands in the middle of the tracks and is accessible, allowing dispatchers and passengers to pass to both sides. At the suggestion of the association We Will Not Give Up the Station!, it was declared a cultural monument, but its utilization and repairs would cost tens of millions of crowns.