Traffic solutions in the Trnitá area

When the current solution does not work, change must come. And when there are multiple changes, it is best to bring them together. This is exactly what has been done in the so-called New District Trnitá. At one point, the construction of a tram line on Plotní Street, the reconstruction of the Zvonařka bus station and the replacement of steam pipes with hot water pipes took place here.

The Zvonařka bus station in Brno was built in the 1970s. It handles about a thousand buses and more than 25 thousand passengers daily. However, such a load was not foreseen 50 years ago and the terminal gradually ceased to meet the standards of travel for the 21st century. The situation was also complicated by the poor passability of the adjacent Plotní and Dornych streets. The problem was experienced by drivers heading south from the centre of Brno, as well as those travelling along the large city ring road. The same intersection was also the route of the tram line, which, however, did not directly serve the transport terminal, and so passengers reached Zvonařka via an overpass. And if we penetrate below the surface, we have to remember the obsolete steam pipes that were located here.

All three problems have been taken care of by the Integrated Solution Brno – New District Trnitá. The tram line was moved from Dornych Street to Plotní Street, where the Bus Station and Železniční stops were created. Now the tram allows passengers better access to the station and creates the basic conditions for further development of the area. The relocation of the line has freed up space on Dornych Street for the creation of a four-lane road that better handles the onslaught of cars from the centre of Brno to the south. The intersection of Dornych and Zvonařka Streets is thus clearer after the reconstruction and the removal of the tram loop.

The reconstruction of the Zvonařka bus station is welcomed not only by the locals, but also by passengers from different parts of Europe who travel here daily. The reconstruction focused mainly on modernising the platforms and the roof of the area. Zvonařka is now clearer, brighter and gives the impression of a unified aesthetic space. New P+R car parks, Kiss and Ride (K+R) quick-stop spaces and dozens of bike stands were also built on site.

The excavation of Dornych and Plotní streets also became a challenge for Brno heating plants. Before the streets were covered with asphalt, the old steam pipes were replaced with hot water pipes. The end of steam pipes began in Brno in 2010. They are gradually being replaced by modern and environmentally friendly hot pipelines, which ensure a stable price for heat, heat savings of up to 15 percent and less carbon dioxide emissions.

The integrated transport solution Brno – New District Trnitá is effective not only in terms of implementation, but also by combining multiple beneficial objectives. The projects improve conditions for the use of public transport, linking it with other modes of travel. In addition, the plan is to move the main train station to the same area, resulting in a significant improvement in transport accessibility that will strengthen the competitiveness of the entire Brno Metropolitan Area. Other plus points can be attributed to the integrated solution for contributing to better air quality and increasing the efficiency of the heat supply by replacing underground pipes.

It was not easy to link three projects, moreover from different applicants (e.g. Brno City Transport Company, Teplárny Brno, ČSAD Brno) and three different operational programmes. With the help of the ITI tool, however, all the actions have been coordinated in time and in subject matter, and passengers have been using the reconstructed station and the new tram line since 2021. The implementation of the entire integrated solution cost CZK 468 million, the subsidy from the ITI was CZK 335 million.