Railway station in Č. Budějovice awaits a renovation for five billion

České Budějovice - The train station in České Budějovice is set for an extensive reconstruction. An estimated five billion korunas will be invested into new platforms, an additional check-in hall, parking, a hotel, and commercial zones by 2014. This is reported by today's South Bohemian supplement of Mladá fronta Dnes (MfD). Czech Railways has already signed a contract for the project with the development firm CB Station Development.
    The old building from 1908 will be occupied by traders, and the platforms will be covered by a hangar with a glass roof. Next to the station, a new check-in hall will be built at the site of the railway polyclinic, where passengers will cross above the platforms through a glass tube, along with a hotel. Underneath, there will be an underground parking lot. Together with additional parking spaces at the site of the depot and car wash, there will be capacity for a thousand cars. Construction is set to begin in 2010.
    The train station is to be among the most modernized in the framework of the project Live Stations, announced by Czech Railways. The contract for the construction was awarded to the firm that transformed the city's bus station into the Mercury shopping center. This holds the unique distinction of having a platform on its roof. Both buildings will be connected by a footbridge across Nádražní street. The intention goes even further. The local roads will connect to the city's highway bypass and further loops and road relocations, including a tunnel under the freight station.
    If the project receives all necessary permits and construction of the IV. railway corridor begins next year, residents and visitors to the city will face tough times. The corridor will temporarily close Rudolfovská třída, and construction of an underpass under the tracks will block Mánesova street at the station. People must endure the restrictions until 2014, adds the newspaper.