The Slovenian section of the Maribor-Graz rail line will be upgraded within six years at a cost of 190 mil euros to improve throughput and reduce travel time. The implementation agreement signed by the Slovenian Infrastructure Agency and the Austrian Transport Ministry refers to the 15 km section between Slovenia's second largest city Maribor and Šentilj on the border with Austria. 

The section is a crucial part of the Adriatic-Ionian corridor and a link for the Koper port. The first phase of the renovation, from 2017 to 2019, will involve taking care of level crossings, which is expected to increase capacity from 60 to 84 trains per day. In the second phase a bridge and a tunnel will be built by 2022. The aim is to reduce travel time between Maribor and Graz from almost 70 minutes to 45 and increase tonnage capacity. The upgrade will be carried out on the existing single-track route, while a second track is planned for the future depending on demand.

The project will mostly be funded from the Slovenian budget, but the government is also counting on securing 80 mil euros from EU cohesion policy funds.

Source: sloveniatimes