Why grouping?
Strategic background of the grouping
- Because railway and other sustainable modes of transport provide cost-effective mobility for all solutions that benefit the economy, protect the environment and ensure that cities and regions develop and prosper while granting well-being to the population.
- Because reestablishment of the cross-border railway missing links and connections represents one of the biggest opportunities for enhanced mobility, economic and sustainable development in European Union border regions.
- Because current mobility habits in Slovenia and further in Central and Eastern Europe dominated by private motorised modes result not only in increased congestion and pollution but also reduce economic progress and social cohesion.
Core network
Proposals for upgrading core TEN_T corridors
- Mediterranean corridor, Almería–Valencia/ Algeciras/ Madrid–Zaragoza/ Barcelona–Marseille–Lyon–Turin–Mila–Verona–Padova/ Venice–Trieste/ Koper–Ljubljana–Budapest with a leg Ljubljana/ Rijeka–Zagreb–Budapest–Záhony, established on 10th of November, 2013; with
- Baltic Sea–Adriatic Sea corridor, Świnoujście/ Gdynia–Katowice–Ostrava/ Žilina–Bratislava/ Vienna/ Klagenfurt–Udine–Venice/ Trieste/ Bologna/ Ravenna with leg Graz–Maribor–Ljubljana–Koper/ Trieste, established on 10th November, 2015; and with
- Rail Freight Corridor Amber, Koper–Ljubljana–Zalaszentivan–Sopron/ Csorna–(Hungarian-Serbian border)–Kelebia–Budimpešta–Komárom–Leopoldov/ Rajka–Bratislava–Žilina–Katovice/ Krakov–Warsaw/ Lukow–Terespol–(Polish-Belarusian border),established on February 2nd, 2019.
Core TEN_T Railway Sava Corridor proposal: Salzburg–Jesenice–Ljubljana–Dobova–Zagreb.
The Sava corridor is also known as Corridor X, for which there is a very strong interest in freight traffic. Regarding passenger transport, we should know that in the 1980s we had 30 daily connections on this corridor between Munich and Belgrade. Today we have three connections from Ljubljana to Munich, only one without a transfer. There are only three daily trains from Ljubljana to Zagreb, there are currently no train connections to Belgrade.
The corridor has three railway lines in Slovenia. The Karavanke tunnel has been renovated, but as a single-track, although it was originally a double-track line and the line between Jesenice and the tunnel is double-track and electrified. The line –Ljubljana–Jesenice– is single-track and electrified and is included and currently in the process of upgrading in the TEN_T (currently included in the comprehensive TEN-T). Slovenske železnice and the responsible Direction are already planning to insert the second track of this line into the space. The line –Ljubljana–Zidani most–Dobova– is double-tracked and electrified, while the section to the Zidani most is planned as four tracks according to strategic documents in the Republic of Slovenia.
In the autumn of 2021, the former responsible Minister for Infrastructure of the Republic of Slovenia, Jernej Vrtovec, handed over the application for upgrading the entry of this corridor within TEN_T, with the official name Alpine–Southeastern Corridor, to the European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean.
The –Danube–Mura–Drava–Sava– corridor is a connection between Vienna and Zagreb, for which there is extremely high interest both in the Republic of Austria and in the Republic of Croatia.
From this address, the Republic of Croatia managed to enroll in the core TEN_T the so-called Krapina corridor, for the upgrade and establishment of which already benefits from cohesion funds in the maximum amount of co-investment of the European Commission (EC), up to 85 percent. Along with another proposal for the corridor –Danube–Mura–Drava–Sava–, which already envisages the second track on the route between Pragersko and Ormož of the railway line –Pragersko–Hodoš–, which is a renovated, single-track, automated and electrified line for speeds of up to 160 km/h, following the strategic documents of the Republic of Slovenia for this line.
We also propose to upgrade the section of the line between Ormož and Središče to the border with Croatia, with a total length of 11.6 km, possibly with entry into the core TEN_T. Currently, this section is part of the comprehensive TEN_T and needs to be renovated and upgraded, we also propose a two-track, electrified line, certainly following the standard already established for the line –Pragersko–Hodoš–.
Core TEN_T Corridor Danube–Mura–Drava–Sava proposal connecting Vienna and Zagreb.
The corridor –Drava–Mura–Raba–Danube– runs from Osijek in Croatia to Bratislava in Slovakia.
We propose to enter the missing parts in the core TEN_T. The route in Croatia, from Osijek to Varaždin, is flat, registration of this route in TEN_T is ongoing. The section between Čakovec, Macinec, and the border in Slovenia is also already included in the comprehensive TEN_T and already within the corridor –Danube–Mura–Drava–Sava– we propose to upgrade it to the core TEN_T.
The establishment of the corridor in Slovenia enables the establishment of a second track of the line –Pragersko–Hodoš–, on the section –Ormož–Hodoš–, as is already foreseen in the strategic documents of the Republic of Slovenia, but was in the vision of the former minister responsible for infrastructure, Vision 2050+: Development of the Slovenian of the railway network (in Slovene: Vizija 2050+: Razvoj slovenskega železniškega omrežja), missed out.
It is strategically important for Slovenia to establish a corridor to Bratislava, because Hungary has already announced the upgrading and electrification of the line –Nagykanizsa–Zalaszentiván–, all the way to –Zalaegerszeg–, which enables a direct fast connection between Bratislava and Vienna, through Hungary to Zagreb, for 2022, completely bypassing Slovenia, see the interactive map or the map of the corridor below.
Core TEN-T Coridor Drava–Mura–Raba–Danube proposal: Osijek–Varaždin–Murska Sobota–Szombathely/leg Graz–Bratislava.
Crossing three rivers and two countries Kamniška Bistrica–Krka–Kolpa Corridor Proposal: Kamnik–Novo mesto–Karlovac–/Leg Kočevje–/Leg Sevnica.
The corridor –Kamniška Bistrica–Krka–Kolpa– is a corridor for which we propose a completely new entry into the core TEN_T.
We propose the corridor as a two-track, electrified line that is currently single-track and non-electrified along the entire route. The route of the second track is being planned but has not yet been determined. The plans of the Republic of Slovenia or the competent ministries and directorates and other key stakeholders envisage two tracks on the section of the line between Ljubljana and Novo mesto and between Ljubljana and Kamnik, but currently without entry into TEN_T. The planned upgrade of the railway line –Ljubljana–Kamnik– also includes the construction of a new section of the line to Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport, with a connection to Naklo, where the railway line to Kranj, though without passenger traffic, already exists.
This corridor also has two important branches or legs, which we must not forget, the leg –Grosuplje–Kočevje– and leg –Trebnje–Sevnica–, for which we also propose electrification as single-track lines and likewise entry into the TEN_T.
The corridor –Kamniška Bistrica–Krka–Kolpa– is formed by two existing railway lines, complemented by two existing branches.
By enrolling the corridor in the core TEN_T, we gain one additional, already existing, main crossing with Croatia (in addition to the existing core crossing in Dobova and two comprehensive crossings in Ilirska Bistrica and Središče, the remaining border railway crossings with Croatia are not currently entered in the TEN_T). Justification for the establishment of the corridor:
- We propose the entire corridor as a two-track line –Kamnik–Metlika–S. B. Croatia–, with an entry in the core TEN_T also on the Croatian side for the route –Karlovec–Bubnjarci–S. B. Slovenia-. For both legs, –Grosuplje–Kočevje– and –Trebnje–Sevnica–, we propose upgrading to a single-track, also electrified line, which would enable a uniform standard, higher frequency, and, at the same time, more economical railway connections.
- If we only take into account the upgrading of the existing lines and corridor arms, we obtain mainly direct connections between Kamnik and Metlika, including cross-border connections to Karlovac and Zagreb; and
- the first round of the corridor, which would significantly improve connectivity in an important part of central and southeastern Slovenia, namely a circular connection: –Ljubljana–Zidani most–Sevnica–Trebnje–Grosuplje–Ljubljana–, in one and the other direction.
The corridor is established across borders, which is a requirement for the highest possible cohesion co-founding from the European Commission of up to 85 percent. It is possible though to expand it to sub-regional connections, such as between the cities of Novo mesto to Krško or municipality Brežice (and its main railway cross-border crossing Dobova) on one side and to the other side, with the extension or completion of the railway line –Novo mesto–Straža– to –Kočevje–, thereby obtaining the second circle of the corridor: –Ljubljana–Zidani most–Krško/ Brežice/ Dobova–Novo mesto–Straža–Kočevje–Grosuplje–Ljubljana–.
Expanded core network
Proposals for upgrading to extended TEN_T corridors
The proposals for upgrading to the expanded core TEN_T network are the following corridor proposals: legs Gornja Radgona/Bad Radkersburg, Carinthia corridor and –Paka–Savinja–Sotla– corridor, and corridors: Ljubljana Hub of the Sava corridor, corridor –Julian Alps–Istria–Kvarner, –Gorizia–Central Slovenia– leg and last but not least –Zala–Mura–Drava– corridor. All the listed corridors and their legs or branch lines are also directly connected to the three core TEN_T corridors of the European Commission listed above..
Extended Core TEN_T Corridor proposal re-connecting Gornja Radgona and Bad Radkersburg.
After more than 75 years, the Radgona railway branch once again connects Gornja Radgona and Bad Radkersburg (once a single town), by railway.
In the Republic of Austria, this railway line, in German as Radkersburger Bahn, which celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2020, marked by the launch of the Mura Bridge Declaration in the Mura-Drava railway lines network, is already scheduled for renovation, to reduce the travel time between the Bad Radkersburg and Spielfeld-Straß to half an hour (currently the travel time is almost an hour). The Republic of Austria and the Land of Styria will invest €109.5 million to renovate this approximately 31-kilometer-long line, in a ratio of 80/20. By the end of 2031, this part of the Radkersburger Bahn in the Republic of Austria will be electrified.
Both countries, the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Austria, must also re-establish the cross-border railway bridge over the Mura River, which was mined at the end of the Second World War and then partially dismantled by the Republic of Austria in 1947, with the dismantling of the other half of the bridge by the former Yugoslavia after in 1955. The total estimated length of the cross-border bridge and the missing route is approximately five kilometers. We also explained why we need the bridge in the Declaration on the Mura Bridge in the Mura-Drava line network, which was signed and supported by the founders as well as the members and partners of the Mobilitatis Omni grouping.
We propose the inclusion of the line –Ljutomer–Gornja Radgona– in the extended core TEN_T and its upgrade, including electrification, that is also suitable for heavy freight transport. In any case, it makes more than sense to reconnect this line or this branch to the two existing core TEN_T corridor lines, –Ljubljana–Vienna–, with a junction in Spielfeld-Straß and, on the other hand, to the line –Pragersko–Hodoš–, with a junction in Ljutomer.
On the section of the railway line –Pragersko–Hodoš–, between Ljutomer and Lipovci, we propose as the second track of this core line, established in all the strategic documents of the Republic of Slovenia, a railway route from the Vučja vas motorway junction, which is directly next to the line –Ljutomer–Gornja Radgona–, to Lipovci, with a new railway bridge over the Mura, also possibly next to the highway. This section, in total from Ljutomer to Vučja vas and further to Lipovci, respectively to Murska Sobota and Beltinci, would work perfectly on the one hand as the officially announced (but without a timetable) second track of the line –Pragersko–Hodoš– and on the other hand as the beginning of the newly announced railway line –Murska Sobota–Maribor–.