Possibilities of railway connection between Rijeka and Trieste within the European TEN-T network

Abstract

In the existing railway network of the Republic of Croatia there is no direct connection between Rijeka and Trieste via Istria. It is theoretically possible to achieve this indirectly through several railway lines crossing Slovenia. As a result, our largest peninsula of Istria has remained completely isolated from the rest of the country from the point of view of rail transport. Trieste-Rijeka section is not included in the Mediterranean corridor, that is, in the basic TEN-T network. Some research [1], [2], [5] and facts show that there are numerous reasons for the construction of a new modern railway line between Rijeka and Trieste, which could be of great importance in the transport, technological and economic system of the Republic of Croatia and the European Union. The new concept of railway connection between Rijeka and Trieste envisages the construction of a new high-efficiency two-lane railway across the territory of Istria and partly across the territory of the Republic of Slovenia. In fact, the construction of a new railway line is foreseen on the Rijeka - Jurdani - Divača route, while the Divača - Trieste section is foreseen for reconstruction and modernization within the investment program of the Mediterranean Corridor. According to above research, this connection can be achieved in two ways: according to the first, the connection can be achieved by upgrading and modernizing existing lines on the route Jurdani - Pivka - Divača, and the second, by constructing a new line on the route Jurdani - Lupoglav - Divača. This second method of connection has the advantage in that it directly connects the Istrian railways into a complete system of Croatian railways.