The New Brno Main Train Station is a massive US$ 2.12 billion multi-modal railway and transit hub planned for the city of Brno, the second-largest city in the Czech Republic. The extensive infrastructure project entails the demolition of the existing railway station, laying new track, upgrading the signaling and security infrastructure, and constructing an expansive new terminal to anchor a vibrant new urban district. Designed by a joint venture between Benthem Crouwel Architects and West 8 following a major international competition, the net-positive station will feature 14 platforms accommodating high-speed rail, local trains, trams, and buses. Covered by a convex glass canopy and integrating bio-based materials like cross-laminated timber, the project aims to drastically improve operational efficiency and passenger experience when it is completed between 2032 and 2035.
This national push for modernized transit hubs is being paralleled in the capital, where the Prague Metro Line D’s Olbrachtova to Nové Dvory section has secured a €1.2 billion construction contract. This milestone follows a prolonged legal battle that had delayed the project for over two years, with the contract finally being awarded to a consortium led by Subterra. As the centerpiece of the city’s first fully automated, driverless metro line, this 4.6-kilometer segment includes the construction of five new stations and will serve as a vital link for 150,000 residents in Prague’s southern districts. Combined with the Brno project, these investments underscore the Czech Republic’s commitment to building a 21st-century, high-capacity transport network integrated with both regional and high-speed rail.
Project Overview
Type: Multi-modal railway station and transport hub
Location: Brno, Czech Republic
Estimated Cost: US$ 2.12 billion
Funding: Co-financed with the help of the European Union (EU)
Transit Infrastructure: 14 platforms for high-speed and local trains, a regional bus station with 40 stops, city bus and tram integration, a metro station, and bicycle/car parking.
Mixed-Use Elements: Will feature passenger services, retail, food & beverage areas, offices, housing, a hotel, and public spaces (including an urban promenade and waterfront park).
Sustainability: Designed as a net-positive facility, featuring rooftop solar panels, a reversible geothermal heat pump for floor heating/cooling, and bio-based construction materials like cross-laminated timber.
Timeline: International design competition won in July 2021; targeted completion between 2032 and 2035.
Project Team
Contracting Authorities: Brno City Architect’s Office, the City of Brno, and the Railway Administration
Lead Architects: Benthem Crouwel Architects (Netherlands) in a joint venture with West 8 (urban planning and landscape architecture)
Building Cost & Solar Energy Advisor: Arcadis
Structural Engineering Advisor: SID Studio
Traffic Consultancy Advisor: Goudappel
Water Management Services: Royal HaskoningDHV
Visualization: Play-Time
Reported 25th August 2021: New Brno Main Train Station is a multi-modal railway/train station that is set for construction in Brno, the second-largest city in the Czech Republic, Central Europe.
Also Read: High Speed 2’s (HS2’s) Euston Station Development in London, UK
The project involves demolishing works for the existing Brno railway station and the construction of a new station & new platforms, laying of new track as well as the extensive upgrading of its signaling, communication, and security infrastructure.
The cost of the project is approximately US$ 2.12bn. It will be financed with the help of the European Union (EU) and is expected to be completed between 2032 and 2035, upon which it will improve the general passenger experience and enhance operational efficiency.
An overview of the architectural design of the Station
New Brno Main Train Station design combines a reference to historic public buildings with an intermodal hub and public space, and it emphasizes Brno’s character and the practical functioning of the new station building with its surroundings.
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The multimodal transport hub features 14 platforms for high speed & local trains, tram & city buses, a regional bus station including 40 stops, a metro station, a bicycle & car parking. It will also include passenger services, retail and F&B areas, as well as offices, housing, hotel & public space, in addition to a waterfront park and urban promenade.
According to the architect, the New Brno Main Train Station represents a marvelous opportunity to create a new and vibrant district in Brno, and its simple and elegant design will be the catalyst and new heart of the district.
“The station is both grand and human, monumental and tangible. Our design combines a straightforward, and comfortable platform canopy with a sensual station building” explained the architect.
The station will be covered by a convex glass canopy that will protect passengers against rain and sunlight while the roofing structures and cladding will use bio-based materials such as cross-laminated timber.
Solar panels will also be installed on the rooftop to make the station net-positive, and a reversible geothermal heat pump will be installed for floor heating and cooling.
Project team
Benthem Crouwel Architects-a Dutch architectural firm, in a joint venture with West 8-an urban planning and landscape architecture firm, was selected to provide the design for the new Brno railway station, while Arcadis-a leading global design & consultancy organization for natural and built assets, was appointed as the building cost and solar energy concept advisor for the project.
SID Studio– a structural design studio that acts at the intersection of architecture and engineering, provided advisory services for structural engineering while Goudappel-a Dutch consultancy firm in the field of mobility & space, acted as the traffic consultancy advisor.
Royal HaskoningDHV – an independent international engineering and project management consultancy, was contracted to provide water management services while Play-Time-a group of architects with broad experience in the photography, graphic design & audiovisual fields, was appointed for visualization work.
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Project timeline
2020
Brno City Architect’s Office with the City of Brno and the Railway Administration as joint contracting authorities, organized and announced an international urban-transport-architectural competition to design the new Brno Main Train Station on August 31st.
A total of 46 firms participated in the completion, which was carried out in two phases. The completion is considered to be the largest architectural competition in the history of the Czech Republic.
2021
Brno City Architect’s Office announced the joint venture of Benthem Crouwel Architects and West 8 as the winner of the international urban-transport-architectural competition in July.
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