Šimonovský: The state plans to allocate little money for the reconstruction of the track in Brno

Brno - The draft state budget for next year currently does not include any expenditures for the reconstruction of the Brno railway associated with the relocation of the station. The state plans to invest money in the construction only from 2009, totaling six billion crowns. According to MP and former Minister of Transport Milan Šimonovský (KDU-ČSL), this amount is too low. The politician said today in Brno that he had discussed increasing the budget with the Minister of Transport.
"The state's share should be nine billion crowns, so that we can draw about 15 billion from European funds," said Šimonovský. He added that a group of South Moravian MPs is now working to ensure that the first part of the funds from the state treasury for the project is released already next year. It should be about 100 million crowns for the project documentation. "The Minister of Transport assured me that the new proposal will take Brno into account," said Šimonovský.
The construction, which is one of the most controversial projects in post-revolutionary Brno, already has a issued zoning decision. The document has come into legal effect. This means that the tracks and the station in the new location are marked on the city's imaginary map and the investor can apply for a building permit. According to Šimonovský, this could be issued next year and construction could begin in the autumn of 2008.
However, in Brno, the final word regarding the location of the station and the future railway junction has not yet been spoken. The current coalition led by the ČSSD, which includes passionate opponents of the relocation from the Greens, is having a professional study prepared. The councilors will decide based on it which option will be better, whether the one with the station in the center or the one with the station moved almost a kilometer to the south. The document is to be completed by mid-July.
Šimonovský, as a former Minister of Transport and a former deputy mayor of Brno, is one of the most active proponents of the relocation. Today in Brno, he reiterated that the new station would allow people to transfer between buses, trains, and Brno's public transport without getting their feet wet. Moreover, it is said to save Brno residents years of reconstruction of the current station in the city center. "I can't imagine that we would be building in the city center for ten or 12 years while it's in operation; we might as well all walk to the train with rubber boots under our arms,"he noted.