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Rehabilitation of rail passenger services along the historic route Trieste – Ljubljana – Zagreb – Belgrade

A recent study, commissioned by the Executive Secretariat of the Central European Initiative in cooperation with the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and carried out by Politecnico Milano, highlights existing bottlenecks and estimates 260,000 passengers per year.

Analysing all the existing issues affecting rail transport in a section of the recently established Western Balkans – Eastern Mediterranean TEN-T Core network and understanding the potential transport demand for a new passenger rail service that would reconnect, after decades, the city of Trieste with Belgrade.

This was the scope of a study, recently finalised by Politecnico Milano and carried out in the framework of the Joint Operational Plan 2023-2024 between the funding partner Friuli Venezia Giulia Region (RFVG) and the Executive Secretariat of the Central European Initiative (CEI-ES), which focuses on activities of mutual interest with international relevance.

While in the past this rail section was served - among others - by the international rail service operated through the historic Orient Express Simplon Train (which operated until the summer of 1992), connectivity by rail across Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia has significantly decreased over the years.

While the sections Trieste - Ljubljana and Ljubljana - Zagreb are currently served with regular rail connections, the passenger train services operated between Zagreb and Belgrade were suspended during the covid-19 era and have not been reactivated since then.

However, an increasing attention from the EU on the promotion of rail transport (2021 was the “year of rail” and an Action plan to boost cross-border and international transport was adopted in December 2021) has set the framework for the possible reactivation of several train services at cross-border level[1], improving cross-border and international connectivity within the EU and between the EU and the Western Balkans.

Based on this framework, the CEI-ES and RFVG, in collaboration with the Transport Community Secretariat in Belgrade, supported an analysis aimed at better understanding the elements to be considered for reestablishing a direct rail passenger service between Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia.

The analysis investigated the issues affecting the rail infrastructure of this specific Ten-T Core corridor section, identifying some of the most significant problems hampering the further development and attractivity of passenger rail services as the single-track section between Dugo Selo and Novska in Croatia, and the different signalling and electrification systems, posing a serious challenge in terms of rolling stock interoperability and consequent travel time.

On the other hand, the analysis showcased the relevance of the potential transport demand that a new train service would be able to attract (estimated in 260.000 passengers/year) and the significant benefits to the environment, based on the promotion of a shift to rail from the predominant car-dependency in the area.

Additionally, the study proposed the first recommendations for the possible future reactivation of the service. Based on the estimated demand the suggested frequency of the service would be initially for six daily train pairs between Trieste and Zagreb. Then, once the works on the Dugo Selo – Novska section are completed (estimated by 2029), the train service could be extended to Belgrade with three additional daily train pairs. Full operations would require a fleet of 11-14 trains, delivering approximately 51,000 train-km per week.

The study was recently presented at a public event held on 8th November in Trieste, at the premises of the Executive Secretariat of the Central European Initiative.

During the event – aimed at presenting the methodological approach as well as the key outcomes of the study – a round table discussion with the railway operators from Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia addressed the opportunities for the revitalisation of cross-border passenger rail services in the region and the possible replicability of the analysis along other sections of the WB-EM corridor.


For more info: dileno@cei.int


[1] It is worth mentioning that, thanks to the CEI-led Interreg Central Europe SUSTANCE project, a direct passenger train connection, jointly operated by Slovenian and Croatian railways was re-established as an experimental piloting initiative from April to September 2024, linking again, after more than 50 years the city of Trieste(Villa Opicina) with Rijeka, through Slovenia (https://www.interreg-central.eu/projects/sustance/)

Related Docs
STUDY (2.37 MB)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (184.08 KB)

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