STA, 11 June 2021 - A new direct rail line linking Vienna, Ljubljana and Trieste was launched on Friday. The newly-established route is an important milestone in sustainable mobility efforts, said the Slovenian railway operator Slovenske Železnice. The line will run every day, starting this afternoon.
The project will cut journey times for both passengers travelling from the north-east of Slovenia to Trieste and those heading to Vienna from the south-west, a press release by Slovenske Železnice reads.
The line can be also used as a starting point for connecting journeys with final destinations being Venice, Milan, Florence, Rome, Prague, Krakow or Warsaw, among others.
? Wir lassen eine alte Verbindung wiederaufleben, ab sofort geht es ohne Umstieg von Wien über Ljubljana nach Triest. pic.twitter.com/XBUHn6Wf79
— ÖBB (@unsereOEBB) June 11, 2021
A ceremony in the afternoon marking the first train journey using the new route will be attended by representatives of Slovenske Železnice, Austrian Federal Railways ÖBB and the Italian Friuli Venezia Giulia region.
The step is also a further upgrade of cooperation between the three countries in railway infrastructure, said Slovenske Železnice passenger transport director Darja Kocjan, adding that the next step would be to promote the line and raise awareness about the environmental aspect of train journeys.
"I'm glad that 164 years after the first train ride on this route this long-awaited direct link between Vienna, Ljubljana and Trieste has been revived," said OBB director Andreas Matthä, noting that the line connected three major European cities with rich cultural programmes.
Graziano Pizzimenti, an infrastructure advisor for the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, said that the project was not just an establishment of a new line but also a sign of a return to normal after the pandemic had upended society.
In Slovenia the train will stop at: Maribor, Pragersko, Celje, Laško, Zidani Most, Trbovlje, Zagorje, Ljubljana, Logatec, Postojna, Pivka, Divača, and Sežana. Visit the Slovenian Railway website
