Prime Minister Robert Golob, Minister of Infrastructure Alenka Bratušek, and a delegation in front of the tunnel of Divača-Koper second railway track. | Author Daniel Novakovič, STA

"Today is a fantastic day on which we can proudly and with great satisfaction tell a story that begins with the Primorska vision - our gateway to the world, which must be supported by regular connections. It is a story about the strength of Slovenian expertise and knowledge- that we were capable of designing this demanding railway line ourselves. Our experts assumed responsibility for ensuring that today we could travel along this line," the Prime Minister emphasised at the beginning of his address.

He also commended the efficiency with which the project was delivered. "It was Slovenian contractors who - acting with a strong sense of national responsibility and regardless of the risks and financial challenges - took on the project and delivered it on time and within the planned budget. That is the difference between a sovereign nation that understands it must invest its knowledge in its own people and one that relies on others to carry out work that is, in fact, in our own national interest," the Prime Minister made clear.

He further presented the second-track project as an example of how complex projects can be delivered efficiently. "This is the most important lesson we must carry forward: when we are capable of delivering the most demanding projects ourselves, we will also deliver them in the way that serves us best," the Prime Minister stressed.

He added that the second-track project is also a story of exceptional financial efficiency. "The financial efficiency of this project is remarkable. Not only did we secure substantial non-repayable funding from the European Union, not only did we remain within the planned financial framework - in practice, for the same amount of money we will have two tunnels rather than one, and two tracks rather than one," the Prime Minister said, highlighting the construction of the parallel track.

The Prime Minister also praised Slovenia's successful absorption of European Commission funding. "The European Commission most readily provides support to those where the risks are lowest. Where it sees that funds will be used responsibly and efficiently, it provides more," the Prime Minister said, commending Slovenia's reliability.

The Prime Minister also paid tribute to the Minister of Infrastructure, Alenka Bratušek, and to her contribution to the successful delivery of the second-track project. "This is also the story of a minister who launched the construction of the track, of a minister who brought the project to completion and today travelled along it by train, and of a minister who, in my view, would be committing a disservice if she did not also complete the next tunnel," concluded the Prime Minister.

The Minister of Infrastructure, Alenka Bratušek, stressed that the second-track project represents an important development milestone for Slovenia. "Today we celebrate a great success for our country - a historic event not only for Koper and Slovenian Istria, but for Slovenia as a whole. The second track is far more than an infrastructure achievement. It means better accessibility, faster journeys and greater transport safety. It represents significant development and connectivity potential for Slovenia, for the Port of Koper and for the hinterland countries that cooperate with it. In this way, we are strengthening the economy of the European Union."

The Head of the European Commission Representation in Slovenia, Jerneja Jug Jerše, said: "The European Commission supported the Divača-Koper second-track project because it is of exceptional importance for Europe as a whole. It forms part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and is an important section of the Baltic-Adriatic Corridor. It is an outstanding European achievement that demonstrates what can be accomplished when engineering excellence, strong determination and, of course, European funding come together. With the second track, we will connect the Port of Koper with Central Europe. The port is an important entry point for European supply chains, and as much as two thirds of all freight is destined for the countries of Central Europe."

With the construction of the second track, Slovenia aims to remove the bottleneck on the Divača-Koper railway section in order to ensure the long-term capacity of the country's rail transport infrastructure and thereby increase the competitiveness of the economy.

At the ceremony marking the completion of construction works on Section 2 of the Divača-Koper second track last November, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of the project for harnessing Slovenia's strategic location. "The second track is one of the key projects that, together with the expansion of the Port of Koper and the modernisation of the railway network, will firmly establish Slovenia as one of Europe's leading logistics destinations over the long term," he said.

The main objectives of the second-track project are to increase line capacity and transport capacity, shorten the railway distance on the Divača-Koper section (from 44.6 km to 27.1 km) and reduce travel time (from 100-110 minutes to 30 minutes), as well as to increase the maximum permitted train speed on the section (from 65-75 km/h to 160 km/h).

The second track will be 27.1 km long and will run through seven tunnels and across three viaducts. The investment cost of the project amounts to EUR 1.109 billion. EU non-repayable funding totalling EUR 389.9 million has been secured for the project.

Activities are also under way on the parallel track (the so-called left track), which will ensure the full double-tracking of the line. Upon completion of the new single-track line, line capacity on the Divača-Koper section will increase from 98 to 212 trains, and with the opening of the additional parallel track from 212 to 252 trains.

During the term of this Government, a record EUR 3.6 billion has been allocated to railway infrastructure, including four key infrastructure projects: the Divača-Koper railway line, the Third Development Axis, the new Karavanke tunnel and the Ljubljana Passenger Centre. In December 2023, the Prime Minister attended the ceremony marking the opening of the Gabrovica viaduct, where he emphasised that transport connections are an extremely important part of everyday life and of the economy, noting that the second track represents the largest investment in the railway network of the Republic of Slovenia. At the end of February 2024, while attending the ceremonial opening of the Vinjan viaduct, he also highlighted that rail transport is a sustainable mode of transport on which Slovenia should focus in its plans for the future.