EUROPE: Slovenian Railways and Austrian Federal Railways have launched two cross-border passenger services as an initial step towards better and more frequent connections between the two countries. One links Ljubljana with Villach and the other connects Ljubljana with Pragersko, Maribor and Graz.
An inaugural train between Ljubljana and Graz ran on March 21, with Darja Kocjan, Director of SŽ Passenger Transport and Kurt Bauer, Head of Long-distance Passenger Services & New Rail Business at ÖBB, representing the two operators. Six daily return workings are scheduled with trains worked by SŽ’s Class 510 Stadler Flirt EMUs; the multi-voltage fleet accepts power at 3 kV DC in Slovenia and at 15 kV 16∙7 Hz in Austria.
Speaking at the launch, Kocjan highlighted co-operation between the two operators, saying ‘I am very happy that our new modern trains will take passengers to Austria for the first time today. A big thank you goes to ÖBB, with whom SŽ co-operates very well.’ Pointing out that the number of passengers in international traffic was growing, particularly to and from Austria, she believed that ‘the growth trend will continue’ and affirmed that ‘the railway is our sustainable future’. Rail uses five times less energy per passenger than road vehicles, she continued, noting that ‘establishing and maintaining connections in international traffic is very important to us’.
In response Bauer said that ‘with our partners at SŽ we are setting new standards in international transport between Austria and Slovenia … we want to make train travel between Slovenia and Austria even more pleasant and comfortable for our customers’.
Bauer explained that each operator was ‘commercially and operationally fully responsible on their territory. Staff change at the border, and ÖBB pays a fee to SŽ for use of the Flirts in Austria’. Insisting that ‘we want to intensify the service’, he hoped to introduce hourly trains between Graz and Maribor and a two-hourly service between Villach and Ljubljana within the next three years. This will depend on infrastructure improvements as the routes are partly single track.
Link with Croatia
SŽ has also launched a service in conjunction with Croatian passenger operator HŽPP between Villa Opicina on the border with Italy and the Croatian city of Rijeka on the Adriatic coast. An inaugural train ran on April 24, and a daily return working will continue until September 30. The train is scheduled to take 2 h 4 min from Villa Opicina to Rijeka with the return service requiring 2 h 15 min.
The event was attended by SŽ Passenger Transport Director Darja Kocjan, Central European Initiative Secretary-General Roberto Antonione and Vlasta Kampoš Jerenec, Head of Railways & Cableways in the Inland Transport Directorate at Slovenia’s Ministry of Infrastructure, as well as other officials.
On arrival in Rijeka the train was greeted by HŽPP President Željko Ukić, who said that the service catered primarily for tourists, at the same time noting that it was important for the green transition and the reduction of CO2 emissions. Also present were Alen Gospočić, Secretary of State for Railways in the Croatian Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport & Infrastructure, and Mayor of Rijeka Marko Filipović.
The service is co-financed by the European Union’s Transnational Co-operation Programme Interreg Central Europe, with 80% sourced from the €2m Sustance project that runs from April 2023 to March 2026.