In the following paper I am taking stock of the Central train station area development (CTSAD) project, and I argue for conceiving it as a specific type of strategic urban project, yet more complex and challenging. First part of the paper is dedicated to general framing of the strategic urban projects, describing their nature and typical challenges. In the second part, the specifics of CTSAD projects are identified in three specific dimensions: the inner city development site, the transportation node and the railway station building. As I argue, these features amplify the challenges as well as potentials of this kind of project