The Vinjan viaduct, a key piece of the new Divača-Koper railway line, in southwestern Slovenia, was inaugurated last week. The new railway section should be commissioned by 2026 and bring many advantages for rail freight in the area.
The Vinjan viaduct stretches for 620 metres, connecting the Mlinarji and Škofije tunnels across the Vinjan valley. It is one of three viaducts built along the new line. Its construction started in the spring of 2022, with the project being modified to reduce the number of pillars. The Vinjan viaduct was co-financed by the European Union for 80 million euros.
Divača-Koper line
Doubling the Divača-Koper, one of Slovenia’s busiest freight lines, is one of the main rail projects in Slovenia. It aims at shortening the connection between the country’s largest port, in Koper, with the main railway network. It is also a key part of the TEN-T Mediterranean Corridor, running from Spain to Romania.
Other than the three viaducts, much of the new line will run under eight tunnels. The second line will have a slightly different route than the existing one as it will run closer to the Italian border, via Črni Kal and Zgornje Škofije.
The cost of the entire project revolves around a little over 1.1 billion euros. Once completed, the number of convoys rolling on the new Divača-Koper line every day should increase from 90 to 231. This would translate into freight volumes more than tripling, from 14 to 43 million tonnes per year, according to the European Commission.
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