This means the final remaining contract, which the agency signed with two builders in December, was transferred to 2TDK, Infrastructure Minister Alenka Bratušek told the press after the cabinet session.

Under the EUR 14.5m contract, the builders Kolektor CPG and Bosnia's Euroasfalt will build access roads to the future construction site.

The two companies had already requested an additional EUR 2.5m due to delays in launching the project, noting prices in construction had gone up.

But faced with the opposition from the minister, who threatened to annul the tender, they withdrew their request.

Bratušek today said she was happy the ministry had managed to secure transparency, pledging this would be the way forward.

She would also like the government to adopt the investment plan for the new rail track within a month and take a decision on the participation of additional countries in the project, a reference to the proposed financial investment by Hungary.

She explained that the documents about Hungary's participation in the project had now been declassified.

The minister believes Slovenia is able to build the new rail connection between the port of Koper and the inland hub of Divača on its own.

"If we determine that participation by one or more countries brings added value, I'll support it, but under conditions that we set," she said.

Hungary's potential participation has been one of the main sticking points of the project, with concerns raised about involving a foreign country in a strategic asset such as the port in Koper.