SŽ‑TP, the national rail operator, was assigned only 46 paths along the Ljubljana–Koper line, connecting the country’s capital with its main port. “This is a 50% reduction in capacity, which is already insufficient to meet needs”, the company said in a letter.
The capacity restriction is linked to infrastructure works along the Divača–Gornje Ležeče, near the border with Italy, and the Verd–Logatec, a few kilometres southwest of Ljubljana. The first one has been partially closed since the end of June and will be until the end of July, while the second one between 4 August and 10 December 2025. In both cases, only one track will be open to traffic.
Disruptions until 2027
Between total and partial closures, the Slovenian railway network will face disruptions up until 2027, as the letter from SŽ‑TP highlighted. Other than the construction along the Ljubljana–Koper line, traffic will be disrupted by upgrades of the stations in Ljubljana and Jesenice. Between 6 October 2025 and January 2026, “only two freight tracks will be operational for cargo and passenger traffic through Ljubljana station”, the company specified.
Works at the Jesenice station will start in September 2025 with closures during the weekends, which are often vital for rail freight service. Moreover, from March 2026 to January 2027, transport between Slovenia and Austria “will only be possible with multi-system or diesel locomotives, and manipulation of wagons at the station will not be possible.
The outlook from SŽ‑TP is not too optimistic. The operator claimed that there are other foreseen major projects and that “numerous unforeseen urgent maintenance works” are also expected. These closures are likely to have an impact on logistics companies relying on rail freight services in Slovenia. “It is necessary to count on a difficult planning of all shipments from/to the port of Koper”, Metrans pointed out in a press release.