Ljubljana - Under the European Mobility Week, train rides will be free in Slovenia on Thursday, Infrastructure Minister Bojan Kumer announced on Monday. "I invite everyone to use the trains, not only on Thursday, but all year round," he added.

Kumer welcomed a positive trend in the number of kilometres driven in a sustainable way. On the other hand the number of kilometres driven in fossil fuel vehicles is decreasing, he said.

In what is also an encouraging trend, more than 100 Slovenian municipalities have already joined the European Mobility Week this year.

But there is still ample room for improvement, said the ministry's State Secretary Alenka Bratušek, as 70% of all journeys are still made by car, with two thirds of these involving a single passenger and half of them being less than two kilometres long.

Sustainable mobility is one of the ministry's priorities this term, she added.

Dušan Mes, director general of the national rail operator Slovenske Železnice, noted that quality was key in promoting sustainable mobility, lauding efforts to upgrade the rail network and make such transport more economical.

From 2014 to the end of 2023, the state intends to co-finance or finance more than 100 sustainable mobility projects worth over EUR 250 million, which translates into EUR 12.5 per capita per year, said Kumer.