Beroun is an urban centre of almost 20,000 residents about 30km from Prague. Many of the residents of Beroun and the surrounding areas commute to the capital to work. Before the project was completed, the train station and the bus station were situated about a kilometre apart, which meant that commuters had a good 15-minute walk to change from local and regional buses to the national railway. With this project of the Swiss-Czech cooperation programme it was possible to eliminate this major inconvenience and significantly raise the efficiency of the transport system.

As a result of this recently completed project a bus station with three covered platforms and an electronic timetable have been built on the square in front of the railway station. The needs of people with disabilities were given special attention in the planning.

Now that the rail and bus stations are close together, regional and local bus timetables are being synchronised with the train connection.  Expectations are high. The reorganised transport infrastructure and the better service is expected to create a 10% increase in passengers.

Additional activities through exchange rate gains

Savings made through public procurements and exchange-rate gains resulting from the stronger Swiss franc since January 2015 have made it possible to carry out additional work within this project. For example, the old bus station was demolished. The existing parking lot next to the old bus station was enlarged and renovated. New timetables with real-time information at selected bus stops provide information on the arrival times of the next buses.

If, in spite of optimised timetables, prolonged waiting times should arise at the station in the future, the soon to open playground will keep children occupied and reduce stress for parents waiting for their connection in Beroun.