Ivančna Gorica - The state could start building a second rail track between Ljubljana and Ivančna Gorica, a town some 30km south-east of the Slovenian capital, in three years, Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec announced on Friday as he visited the town as part of the government's visit to southern Central Slovenia region.

The project is part of the revitalisation of the Ljubljana-Metlika railway route towards Croatia. According to Vrtovec, the sitting procedure for it has already started.

The second track is part of the country's efforts to strengthen its rail infrastructure and encourage people to use trains.

"If the infrastructure is good and well maintained, people will use it," the minister believes.

He also hopes the second track will not give rise to environmental requirements that could delay the process.

Yesterday, Vrtovec announced that together with the Ivančna Gorica-bound second track, a bypass road would be sited to relieve Škofljica, a town just south-east of Ljubljana, of traffic on the very busy Ljubljana-Kočevje road.

However, he said it was premature to say where exactly the new road would run, "but the important thing is that we take steps forward".