Hradec Králové will have a new bus station within a year

Hradec Králové - The city hall of the hundred-thousand population Hradec Králové officially launched the construction of a new bus station today, which citizens and visitors to the city have been waiting for nearly 50 years. The actual bus terminal should be completed by August next year, and the nearby Riegrovo Square near the Czech Railways station will be adapted for public transport by the autumn of 2008.
    "The total construction costs are approximately 470 million crowns including VAT, of which about two-thirds is accounted for by the terminal itself," said Josef Malíř, deputy mayor of Hradec Králové for investments, to ČTK today. The construction contractor is the company Strabag.
    The city currently does not have any classic bus station. Buses depart from temporary stops near the train station and from a nearby panel area. The construction of the station is one of the main priorities of the city hall. At the same time, it is one of the largest investments in the city’s modern history.
    The investor of the terminal is the municipal transport company of Hradec Králové, which will also operate it. The transport company also received a grant of 62 million crowns for the construction from European Union funds. However, funding primarily depends on the city, which has already previously increased the basic capital of the transport company by 177 million crowns in this regard. "The prices of fares in public transport will not be affected by the construction of the terminal," said Malíř.
    The capacity of the terminal, which will be covered by an unconventional steel structure, is about 32,000 people daily. "It also includes 25 departure stands, of which 13 are for urban public transport and 12 for line buses," said Vladimir Pejřil, the transport deputy of the transport company.
    The city hall intends to offer the current panel area of the station to investors. "Several investors are already expressing interest, but further procedures will be decided by the new council," said Malíř. According to him, a condition will be that the investor's proposal must also include the construction of a parking garage for cars.