Summary. A summary of the expert article from the society's 35th anniversary volume. The full article is available to download below.
The upgrade of the almost 16-kilometre Maribor–Šentilj–state border line is one of the key projects in modernising Slovenia's railway infrastructure. The section is part of the Zidani Most–Šentilj main line and the core Baltic–Adriatic corridor along the Graz–Maribor–Ljubljana–Koper route. Built in 1846, the line is single-track between Maribor and Šentilj.
The project covers the upgrade of the Maribor Tezno, Maribor, Pesnica and Šentilj stations, the reordering of level crossings, the new Pekel tunnel and Pesnica viaduct, and noise protection. The goals are modernisation to European standards, raising the category from C3 to D4, greater safety and capacity, and shorter travel times. The works were carried out in several lots between 2018 and 2023.
The total value of the works is estimated at EUR 286.65 million, of which EUR 101 million is co-financing from the European Cohesion Fund. The authors of the article, Tina Velenšek and Suzana Fras, place the project among the important steps towards developing transport infrastructure and the interoperability of the TEN-T network in Slovenia.
