Commuting to work by public transport: improving railway links between Ljubljana and its surroundings

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Narrative

Most railway lines in Ljubljana region have not been upgraded for a very long time and consequently cannot offer an attractive alternative to car use to those who migrate to Ljubljana for work. In this context the rail infrastructure project between Ljubljana and Borovnica is important as it will address the problem of concentrated road traffic in Ljubljana and its surroundings by making the use of train more accessible and reducing the dependency on the use of car. Consequently it will contribute to reduction of the currently very high emissions from daily commuting. At the same time it will improve the quality of live and potentially reduce the transport costs of people who are currently to a large extent dependent on cars. This project is part of a larger project of upgrading the railway line Ljubljana-Divača, which is the main transport link between Primorska region and central Slovenia and currently represents one of the bottlenecks in Slovenian railway infrastructure, so the upgrading is important also from this perspective.

Financial data

The project worth € 152,1 million is co-financed by the European Recovery and Resilience Facility in the amount of € 57.25 million.

Recommendations

Improve rail infrastructure as a precondition for faster and more frequent train journeys, especially on routes where daily migration flows are highest. For distances that cannot be covered on foot or by bicycle, train is the most climate-friendly and at the same time comfortable alternative to the use of car and improvements have a great potential to contribute to reduction of commuting emissions that currently represent a very high percentage of total emissions in Slovenia. However, it is important to recognise that investment in rail infrastructure alone will not be sufficient to change mobility patterns and must be supported by accompanying measures such as comprehensive integration of different forms of sustainable mobility, more frequent lines, affordability, etc.