by InTrieste
In a groundbreaking move, Trenitalia has inked a preliminary agreement with SŽ Passenger Transport, the Slovenian railway company, to extend the reach of its high-speed Frecciarossa trains into Slovenian territory. According to a press release from FS, the Italian State Railways, travelers can soon “hop on a Frecciarossa in Milan and reach the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, in just seven hours.”
As an alternative, the statement highlights that Slovenian citizens will have easy access to some of Italy’s most picturesque destinations, such as Venice or Trieste in just two and a half hours. However, it’s worth noting that a budget-friendly Flixbus journey from Trieste to Ljubljana covers the same distance in just an hour and a half. This, of course, underscores an infrastructural challenge tied to the Slovenian rail network.
Collaboration between the two companies will involve extensive testing on the Slovenian infrastructure, currently undergoing enhancement works to further reduce travel times for Frecciarossa connections. The ultimate goal is to establish two daily links between Milan and Ljubljana.
This Italy-Slovenia connection follows Trenitalia’s Eurocity service, ensuring links between Italy and Swiss cities such as Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva, Montreux, Lausanne, and Lugano. Additionally, the Euronight service connects Rome, Florence, Bologna, La Spezia, Genoa, Milan, Verona, and Padua with Munich in Germany and Vienna in Austria, and vice versa. The expansion of Frecciarossa into Slovenia adds another dimension to Europe’s rail connectivity, promising both convenience and speed for travelers between the two countries.
