The Municipality of Hrpelje-Kozina, a dual border municipality, has also joined Mobilitatis Omni

Kozina, 1st of June — The dual border municipality, the Municipality of Hrpelje-Kozina, has become the 36th member to join EZTS Mobilitatis Omni (in formation). We reached an agreement with the mayor of the municipality, Saša Likavec Svetelšek, on the municipality’s support for the grouping’s programme and the transformation of Mobilitatis Omni into a European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation.

The Municipality of Hrpelje-Kozina is an important railway junction where the track from Divača splits towards both Koper and Pula. In the past, a third track also ran toward Trieste. According to available sources, the settlement of Kozina originated with the construction of the famous Southern Railway¹. The famous Istrian railway line Divača—Pula was completed in 1867². Today, along this route to Pula, Slovenia and adjacent border regions no longer have frequent passenger traffic or direct trains to and from central or other parts of Slovenia.

The railway line from Divača to Pula totals 121.8 kilometres. Up to the junction at Prešnica, it is a single-track electrified line, which continues as such towards Koper. Beyond Prešnica, the line to Pula remains single-track but is not electrified. In the summer timetable, there are usually two passenger trains from Divača to Pula, but there are no direct passenger trains from central Slovenia, let alone from other parts of Slovenia or border regions.

In Hrpelje, after the construction of the Southern Railway in 1887, the Trieste—Hrpelje railway line was also built. This reduced the travel distance from Trieste to Pula by as much as 38 kilometres by rail. Contrary to expectations of frequent freight railway traffic, there was lively passenger traffic along the line. However, at the end of 1958, the line was closed and the tracks were removed³. Today, the route of the Trieste—Hrpelje railway line hosts a beautiful cycling and walking path.

In the Mobilitatis Omni project, they have included the Istrian railway line from Divača to Pula in a proposal for upgrading and establishing an expanded core corridor called the Julian Alps–Istria–Kvarner. Alongside the Istrian line, this corridor also includes another famous route, the Bohinj Railway⁴. In the grouping, they propose the complete inclusion of the corridor in the expanded core Trans-European Transport Network (TEN_T). The expanded core TEN_T is scheduled for upgrades between 2030 and 2040. Up to 85% of non-repayable co-funding is available from cohesion funds for railway network upgrades, through the cohesion instruments of the European Commission, including the Cohesion Fund and the European Regional Development Fund. It is high time for the entire Istrian railway line from Divača to Pula to be reintegrated into the European railway map.

In Mobilitatis Omni, they welcome the support of the 36th member, the Municipality of Hrpelje-Kozina, and assure that they will do everything in their power to justify the trust placed in them.