A new cross-border passenger rail
service will operate between Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia on two
historic rail routes: from Villa Opicina to Pivka and then down
to the port of Rijeka.
Under the Interreg Central Europe Sustance, the rail link
will connect Villa Opicina (Italy) to Rijeka (Croatia) via
Divaca-Pivka (Slovenia) starting in April. This Interreg program
aims to improve the connection between Central Europe's rural,
peripheral, and cross-border areas.
The link has vital historical significance because it
represents a rapprochement between several countries that, in
the aftermath of World War II, had severed connections and
relations between the two worlds on both sides of the Bloc.
The rail convoy will travel partly on the historic Southern
Railway, which Suedbahn between Vienna and Trieste completed in
1857, and partly on the Pivka-Fiume, built during the Habsburg
era and opened to traffic in 1873.
The passenger train, which aims to attract commuters and
tourists, will leave Villa Opicina daily from April 24 to
September 30 - but the service may be extended - at 7:50 a.m.
and arrive in Rijeka at 9:54 a.m., returning from Rijeka at 6:25
p.m. and arriving in Villa Opicina at 8:40 p.m.
Tickets will be available for purchase at stations or, where
ticket offices are not available, in cash directly on the train.
The ticket price for the one-way trip—discounted by 50 percent
on regular fares given the route's importance for the railways
involved—is set at 8 euros, and that for carrying a bicycle at 5
euros. For children aged 6 to 12, the price will be 4 euros,
whereas the train will be free for children under 6.
The new connection results from a collaboration between the
Executive Secretariat of the Central European Initiative, the
project leader, Slovenian Railways, and Croatian Railways.
The Slovenian Railways will provide the train that will run
on the line, a modern Stadler, while the two companies' staff
will operate the train on their respective routes.
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