Ljubljana is set to get a much needed new passenger terminal by the end of 2025, and the whole public-private investment is valued at around one billion euros, according to Mayor Zoran Janković.

The government, the Ljubljana municipality and Slovenian Railways believe a modern passenger terminal is a must, also in terms of passenger transport development for the entire country.

The stakeholders briefed the public on the publicly-funded part of the long awaited new passenger terminal on 10 October.

The Infrastructure Ministry is in charge of upgrading the railway station and Minister Alenka Bratušek said the construction of a new railway overpass over Dunajska Road was already under way.

"We have a very ambitious goal to complete most of the construction work by the end of 2025," the minister said.

Slovenian Railways CEO Dušan Mes said that traffic around the new passenger centre would be completely adapted to public transport.

A digital rendering of the new Ljubljana passenger terminal. Photo: Emonika

The public and private segments of the project were separated in 2017, at a time when the public segment was very "undernourished". But a massive step has been taken since, he said.

Both the railway and coach stations will be very passenger-friendly, Mes promised; commercial services will be designed so that some services are available at all times.

The railway operator is in charge of building a new coach station, with Mes saying that additional coach parking facilities would be built on the outskirts of the city to provide better traffic flow along Vilharjeva Road, where the coach station will be located.

In addition to the new coach terminals, the station will provide space for over 2,000 bikes and parking for car sharing.

"The main objective of this project is to improve the conditions for public transport and provide the best possible conditions for cyclists and pedestrians," said Mes.

The project includes a complete renovation of railway infrastructure, a new overpass, while the existing underpass will be renovated and expanded.

Among other things, the railway overpasses over Dunajska and Šmartinska roads will be replaced, and an additional coach terminal will be built on Masarykova Road, which will be transformed into a boulevard. Linhartova Road in the north will also be expanded.

The private investor, Mendota Invest, a company owned by the Hungarian OTP bank, has filed the paperwork for a construction permit and the procedure is ongoing.