In Náchod, a new bus station was opened for 35 million crowns

ATELIER TSUNAMI, bus station in Náchod, source: atsunami.cz

Náchod - The twenty-one thousand strong Náchod today opened a new bus station. It was built on the site of the original bus stops in front of the main train station. Passengers will now be able to transfer between buses and trains more comfortably and with dry feet. The construction of the station lasted from last August and cost 35 million crowns. The builders also improved the previously unattractive park in front of the train station. The actual bus operations at the station will begin at midnight from Saturday to Sunday, said Deputy Mayor Tomáš Šubert (Patriots of the City of Náchod) to ČTK.
The bus station has ten departure bays and four arrival bays for local transport. Additionally, the station features ten waiting spaces for buses and areas for personal vehicles and taxis. During the construction of the station, buses departed from temporary stands in the surrounding streets.
The construction was supported by a grant from the European ROP Northeast program with roughly four million crowns. "The EU money was used here in a way that cannot be questioned. For a useful purpose," said Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (ČSSD) during the station's opening.
The train station building is still waiting for repairs. However, due to the delayed transfer of the property from Czech Railways to the Railway Infrastructure Administration, its reconstruction has not yet begun, Mayor Jan Birke (ČSSD) stated. He estimated that the property could be transferred by the end of this year and that repairs, which already have a building permit, could start in 2015.
As a result, there will not be permanent toilets at either the train or bus station until the station building is repaired. Passengers will currently use temporary toilets in a mobile unit and toilets in so-called toi-toi booths. The original station toilets were removed during the construction of the bus station. Czech Railways was involved in the completed investment only in certain construction works, such as network connections.
Based on a contract from the Directorate of Roads and Highways, builders also renovated the busy roundabout known as U Itálie in close proximity to the bus station this spring. Traffic there is now safer and smoother. However, construction work in the center of Náchod has not ended; the road in Plhovská Street towards Plhovské Square is still under repair. The costs for the road repairs amount to approximately 21 million crowns.