The third and final viaduct of the new Koper-Divača railway has been completed with a ceremony held on 28 February to mark the occasion. The new track is due to open to traffic in 2026.

The 620-metre Vinjan viaduct is the first rail viaduct in Slovenia to have been built using the free cantilever method, which had been used before for motorway viaducts.

As some knowledge on bridge construction was lost around 2008 when large construction companies failed, the use of this method is especially important for the revival of Slovenia's construction sector, Infrastructure Minister Alenka Bratušek said.

Co-funded by the EU, the €1.109 billion rail track will link the city of Koper and the country's sole commercial port with the Divača railway junction by faster route to the existing railway.

The new track will more than double the traffic flow from the Koper port to central Slovenia, Prime Minister Robert Golob said. He announced more focus on the development of the remaining sections of the railway network.

Bratušek said the construction of an additional, parallel track remained a priority for the ministry and the government. This segment is planned for the 2026-2030 period.

"At European Commission we are very proud to have taken part in a project that shows how well and effectively European funds can be used," said Jerneja Jug Jerše, head of the European Commission Representation in Slovenia.

In addition to the viaducts, 33 out of 37 kilometres of tunnels on the track have already been bored. The completion of the previous viaduct was marked in December.