A new train route will connect Milan and Ljubljana in seven hours, following a new agreement reached between Italian train transport company, Trenitalia and SŽ Passenger Transport, or Slovenian Railways.
If Trainitalia decides to proceed, the new service could begin in April this year.
A Frecciarossa train is expected to run from Milan to Ljubljana, passing through the Italian cities of Venice and Trieste. According to a report from CNN, the train will also make stops at some of Slovenia’s natural attractions, such as Postojna Caves, Skocjan Caves, and Lipica, which is known for the renowned Lipizzaner horses since 1580.
Italy’s state-owned rail operator, FS Italiane, said that “the time seems to be ripe for the restoration of a cross-border service between the two countries,” according to Euronews.
A report from CNN notes that Frecciarossa trains can reach speeds of 300 kilometers per hour (284 mph) on the Italian network. However, the speeds might be slower on this route, in particular in the east of Venice.
The government of Italy pledged a total of €1.8 billion (nearly $2 billion) in March last year in order to upgrade the Venice-Trieste line to fully high-speed. Now, the Slovenian train lines are being tested to see if they can also be improved.
It was about time that a serious rail connection was restored between Trieste and Ljubljana – It sounds like a joke, but it is often the case in the region that the railway connections were better a century ago than they are today.
Authorities in EU countries are continuously attempting to promote environmentally friendly and cost-effective means of travel, such as trains.
In October last year, The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) introduced new night trains that would connect Vienna and Germany, Italy, as well as the Netherlands and Switzerland.
A study from a company specialising in Tourist Intelligence, Mbarian, showed that reducing carbon emissions in Europe could be possible by shifting from domestic flights to rail travel.
Reducing carbon emissions could also happen by replacing short-distance flights with trains.
According to Mbarian’s survey, by substituting short flights that cover distances less than 2.5 hours or up to 500 km with high-speed trains, there is a potential possibility of reducing annual CO2 emissions by one million tonnes.
The study also examined whether adopting a regulation (that is already being implemented in France) in various European countries could stop additional CO2 emissions from being released.
