Bratislava’s mayor Ivo Nesrovnal has derailed plans to cancel a contract between the city of Bratislava and a development company led by Igor Ballo for the reconstruction of the city’s dilapidated main train station. City deputy Martin Maruška prepared materials for a meeting on Thursday by the city assembly but the mayor’s stance forced him to backpedal, according to the daily Pravda. Before assuming the position of mayor, Nesrovnal was on record as saying that the contract should be cancelled, as there is little hope the project will be completed by the required date in 2016. The contract was signed in 2010 between the city of Bratislava and the company Transproject, and was intended to be the first step in the construction of a shopping mall at the busy transportation hub. Construction work at the station has yet to begin and retail experts question the viability of any new shopping center in the Slovak capital.
