Heavy rains are once again wrecking havoc in southern Europe, especially in France, Italy and Slovenia. The situation is quite critical, particularly in Slovenia, where construction work for the Divača–Koper line had to be halted on Friday 29 August due to “massive damage”.
“Heavy rains on Friday caused numerous inconveniences along the entire route of the second track and led to the temporary suspension of work at some construction sites”, said 2TDK, the company owning the future line. The company was contacted for an update on the situation but no answer has been provided as of yet. The weather in Slovenia, however, should improve this week, hopefully providing some relief.
The most-affected area was the Glinščica valley, where a landslide above the Lokev Tunnel is still being cleaned up. “The terrain is extremely unstable and any additional rain could cause new inconveniences”, 2TDK said. In the same area, heavy rains also flooded the construction pit for the fan station, which is where the biggest efforts are currently focussed. Finally, access roads to the construction sites were also obstructed by landslides and a few culverts were clogged.
Tests in March…?
This low blow comes just days after 2TDK’s official announcement that tests along the new rail line would start in March 2026, with full operations expected for September. However, it remains to be seen whether last weekend’s extreme weather will further slow down construction and possibly delay the grand opening. “Repair work has been ongoing throughout the weekend and today, and the extent of damage after Friday’s heavy rains is still being determined in certain areas”, 2TDK said yesterday, Monday 1 September 2025.
