Information on the realisation of the project

The project commenced in January 2015 with the appointment of a ten-member project team consisting of Ing. Kateřina Preusslerová (the executive project manager), Miroslava Möllerová (the project finance manager), Ing. Petr Prokeš (the Tanvald Railway Association’s manager), Dr. Ing. Lukáš Pleticha (an advisor on legal matters), Mgr. Jiří Střecha (an expert on cultural and historical heritage, heritage care and museum administration), Pavel Šturm (promotion and marketing), Petr Möller (financial and tax matters), Karel Hanuš, Jindřich Berounský and Tomáš Hádek (technical employees).

The preparation of the tender for the external realisation of the public tender for the reconstruction of the locomotive shed commenced in February. Erste Grantika Advisory, a.s. won that tender.

Subsequently, the project’s main priority was the conclusion of the tender for the reconstruction of the locomotive shed which was organised in cooperation with Erste Grantika Advisory, a.s.. The Tender for the Reconstruction of the Building of the Former Locomotive Shed was called on 22.5.2015, once the tender documentation had been drawn up in full compliance with the legislation of the Czech Republic and the EEA conditions:

Public tender name: The rack-and-pinion railway – the unique living cultural heritage of the Jizera Mountains and the Giant Mountains.
Type of work: construction work
Type of tender: an open tender
Type of public tender according to the expected value: below the limit
Expected value: 13,365,000 CZK, excluding VAT

The subject of the tender has been specified in detail in the Announcement of Commissioned Work and on the contracting entity’s profile, where the tender documentation was published:
http://www.vestnikverejnychzakazek.cz/cs/Form/Display/585884
https://ezakazky.grantikacs.cz/contract_display_164.html

It was necessary to implement several changes during the course of the deadline for the submission of bids on the basis of comments received from the interested parties. These changes led to alterations in the tender documentation and the binding draft work contract and to the extension of the deadline for the submission of bids to 1:00 pm on 20.7.2015.

The current supplementary information and the current versions of the tender documentation and the binding draft work contract were once again published at:
http://www.vestnikverejnychzakazek.cz/cs/form/display/591440
https://ezakazky.grantikacs.cz/contract_display_164.html

The contracting entity, the Tanvald Railway Association (Železniční společnost Tanvald, o.p.s.), received a total of 2 complete bids within the designated deadline for the submission of bids. They were from:
Brex, spol s r. o., Hodkovická 135, 463 12, Liberec 23
Sapora, spol. s r. o. Brumberská 628, 468 41, Tanvald

After opening and evaluating the bids, the evaluation committee stated that only the bid received from Brex, spol. s r.o. had met all of the contracting entity’s requirements set out in the tender conditions and that the bid was acceptable (Sapora, spol. s r.o. withdrew from the tender). After two rounds of meetings, the evaluation committee recommended on 29.7.2015 that the tender should be awarded to Brex, spol s r.o.. The work contract with Brex, spol. s r.o. was officially signed in Kořenov by the representative of Brex, s.r.o., Josef Holba, and the Manager of the Tanvald Railway Association, Ing. Petr Prokeš, on 17^th August.

A further tender was held for the selection of a party to perform the investor’s technical supervision as an external service. The evaluation committee recommended that the contracting entity should accept the lowest bid received from Ing. Tomáš Štejfa and the work contract was concluded on 30.6.2015.

The construction site was transferred to Brex, s.r.o. on 24.8.2015 and the company started clearing the site of self-seeded trees on the same day. The first inspection day took place on 25.8.2015. From that date onwards, all of the activities undertaken during the realisation of the project were oriented towards the realisation of the construction of the locomotive shed, which had to be completed by 31.3.2016 in accordance with the work contract.

During the course of the construction, it was stated at the end of November that the individual important milestones listed in the work contract (the completion of certain work) had been met.

Some unexpected and unforeseeable changes occurred in the project during the course of the construction work:
The need for necessary additional work (a new water main, the replacement of some sleepers, the cleaning of the sewers and shafts, the structural securing of the masonry) gave rise to the commencement of further tender negotiations (which were not subject to the need to call a new tender) with BREX, spol. s r.o. and to the conclusion of Amendment no. 1 to the work contract as of 5.2.2016.

The tender proceedings (tender negotiations which were not subject to the need to call a new tender) pertaining to the additional work, including the amendment and the contracting entity’s written report, were published at: https://ezakazky.grantikacs.cz/contract_display_222.html
The Notification of the Awarding of the Tender was published in the Journal of Public Procurement: https://www.vestnikverejnychzakazek.cz/cs/Form/Display/635967
The amendment to the original work contract was published at: https://ezakazky.grantikacs.cz/contract_display_164.html

Another amendment to the contract, Amendment no. 2 to the work contract, changed the date for the completion of some of the work to 10. 2. 2016 at the latest. The building’s roof, a monumental component of the structure, was anchored in place in December. The placement of the light fittings and the installation of the windows and shed doors were resolved with a sub-contractor at the end of February and during March. The fencing of the building, the height of the fence, the spacing of the posts and the colour of the fence were specified. The installation of the roofing material was completed.

During the course of the final work and the landscaping in March, it was discovered that the technical condition of the sleepers in front of the locomotive shed was completely unsuitable and that it was necessary to repair 4 rails between the shed doors and the edge of the turntable and the side rails by the access road as additional work at the amount of 685,540 CZK. The addition work was secured within the framework of “The rack-and-pinion railway – the unique living cultural heritage of the Jizera Mountains and the Giant Mountains – additional work 02” tender negotiations which were not subject to the need to call a new tender, the result of which was the conclusion of Amendment no. 3 to the work contract on 7.4.2016.

The tender proceedings (tender negotiations which were not subject to the need to call a new tender) pertaining to additional work 02, including the amendment and the contracting entity’s written report, were published at: https://ezakazky.grantikacs.cz/contract_display_294.html
The Notification of the Awarding of the Tender was published in the Journal of Public Procurement: https://www.vestnikverejnychzakazek.cz/cs/Form/Display/655407
Amendment no. 3 to the original work contract was published at: https://ezakazky.grantikacs.cz/document_download_1804.html

The realisation of the additional work caused the deadline for the completion of the construction work to be extended to 30.4.2016.
The finishing work on the installation of the chimney hoods, the shed doors, the electrical wiring and the drainage gutters and on the landscaping and fencing of the building took place in April. The concrete window sills and the glazing of the shed doors and the windows in the entrance doors (aesthetic modifications) were completed.

The completed structure was handed over on 29.4.2016.

The application for the issue of an occupancy permit was sent to the Railway Authority of the Czech Republic on 27.5.2016. The final inspection (the occupancy permit procedure) took place at 11:00 am on 20th June 2016 at the site of the structure in question in Kořenov. The Railway Authority issued the Occupancy Permit, which definitively permitted the use of the structure, on 21.6.2016.

The grant provider was requested to allow an extension of the project until 31.7.2016 on 23.6.2016 in order to ensure the successful completion of all the project activities, especially the partnership and promotional activities.

The last request for a change in the project was submitted at the end of July, on 22.7.2016. Thanks to this, a new sub-chapter entitled “Rail Repair” was created in the “SERVICES” chapter and a new entry entitled “Repair of rail nos. 9 and 11 on the siding to the Locomotive Shed in Kořenov” was added to the project budget. This was to ensure the problem-free entry of the historical rolling stock, which will come to the Kořenov station, into the reconstructed building. The new services enabled further improvements to be made to the quality of the project and the project sustainability to be better secured.

As this involved the reconstruction of a heritage protected building, heritage care employees (the National Heritage Institute in Liberec and the Municipality of Tanvald) also participated at the inspection days during the realisation of the important construction milestones or whenever it was necessary to resolve any details concerning the structural elements which were supposed to be preserved in their original form (for example, the realisation of the roof trusses, pillars, windows, shed doors and so on).

The construction work was undertaken in accordance with project documentation compiled by the main design engineer, architect Ing. Ivan Lejčar from the ALEJ architectural studio. The architectural and construction solution was drawn up by the architect Ing. Petr Lédl, Vladislav Kašper and Martin Zeman, while the structural solution was the work of Ing. Tomáš Štejfa. The contrast between the wooden roof frame made of glued trusses and the granite masonry is the most impressive aspect of the structure. The happy symbiosis of the building’s original, reconstructed remnants and the modern structure of the simple wooden roof has been achieved while ensuring the protection of this industrial gem. The impressiveness of the building and the craftsmanship are the work of the contractor, BREX, spol. s r.o. from Liberec.

All of the information on the course of the realisation of the construction work during September, October, November, December, January, February, March and April has been noted in the entries from the inspection days. The many technical descriptions and terms have not been translated into English. The progress on the reconstruction work can be followed in the extensive photographic gallery contained in the Czech version of the project.

June and July 2016 were marked by celebrations, partnership and the promotion of the project:

1/ Promotional posters and fliers were prepared for the Nostalgic Rides in Historical Carriages between Tanvald and Kořenov event in 2015, where the project was publicised and which took place during the course of the construction work. Furthermore, 15,000 multilingual folding promotional fliers presenting the Nostalgic Rides, the rack-and-pinion railway itself and the reconstruction of the Kořenov Locomotive Shed were also prepared and published for 2016.

2/ The project realisation team led by Pavel Šturm prepared a promotional exhibition on the reconstruction of the locomotive shed in cooperation with the Norwegian partner which was opened upon the occasion of the grand opening of the locomotive shed on 24.6.2016.
3/ The closing conference on “Historical Transport in the Liberec Region/the renewal of the Kořenov Locomotive Shed” took place in Kořenov from 1:00 pm on 23.6.2016. The conference focussed on developing cooperation between all the regional organisations in the field of railway history during the creation of new tourist offers. The conference was also attended by Ivar Johan Gubberud, a member of the project realisation team and a representative of the Norwegian partner Norsk Jernbaneklubb Museet Gamle Vossebanen. A number of Czech organisations and associations also attended: Boveraclub Liberec, Frýdlantské okresní dráhy Frýdlant, Klub přátel železnic Českého ráje, Železniční společnost Jablonné v Podještědí, Kolej klub, z.s. Jablonec nad Nisou, Turnov, Spolek železniční historie Martinice v Krkonoších, Klub železničních modelářů Liberec, the Rail Travellers Club, BUS Line, a.s. and a representative of Czech Railways plc. The aim of this conference was to take inspiration from our Norwegian partner in the area of the organisation of original rides in historical rolling stock and to learn from good examples of marketing.

4/ The official opening of the reconstructed Locomotive Shed took place with invited guests from 1:00 pm on Friday 24.6.2016. The main guests at this official occasion were Mgr. Martin Půta (the Governor of the Liberec Region), Mrs Siri Ellen Sletner (the Norwegian Ambassador to the Czech Republic) with a delegation from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Prague, Lukáš Pleticha (a Member of Parliament), Jaroslav Zeman (a Senator), the mayors of the municipalities in the Tanvald Micro-Region, and so on. A special historical train was also put on. The event was attended by a representative of the Norwegian partner, Ivar Johan Gubberud, and his wife, as well as by many other specially invited personalities. A promotional exhibition was held in the locomotive shed on the occasion of the event and promotional material was handed out.

Supported by grant from Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway www.eeagrants.org
Podpořeno grantem Islandu, Lichtenštejnska a Norska www.eeagrants.cz