The Nova Gorica railway station, located just meters from the Slovenian-Italian border, will get a makeover along with nearby buildings to serve as one of the main venues as the city and its Italian counterpart Gorizia host the European Capital of Culture in 2025.

The agreement on the start of the renovation was signed by the Infrastructure Ministry, the Slovenian Railways and the Nova Gorica municipality on 17 October. The whole investment is estimated at €43 million.

"This important project will take place here in 2025, and without this renovation I cannot imagine how it would be organised in Nova Gorica. I'm also happy to have the support of the prime minister, who understood that this investment is urgently needed," Infrastructure Minister Alenka Bratušek said at the signing.

"The agreement is crucial and is the basis for what we want to do at the site, both in the context of the project and the renovation of the railway area. It is the basis for the transfer of ownership of the three buildings we need as venues," said Nova Gorica Mayor Samo Turel. He referred to a warehouse, the railways health centre and a signals building.

The project includes building an underpass under the railway tracks to connect the station with the city. This investment, valued at €5 million, will be financed by the Infrastructure Ministr with Nova Gorica chipping in €800,000 of the sum.

Slovenian Railways will allocate €1 million for the renovation.

Later, when the railway station is renovated, freight transport will no longer run through it, said Dušan Mes, the CEO of the Slovenian railways company.