Project for Ljubljana Passenger Centre clears hurdles

It has been in waiting for 18 years

Public authorities and investors from Slovenia signed a memorandum of understanding for the construction of the Ljubljana Passenger Centre on Tuesday. The Memorandum addresses future cooperation for the effective and timely implementation of the important mobility project, also referred to as Emonika, which has stayed uncompleted for 18 years now.

The future transport hub in Ljubljana is a strategic priority for the government

The cooperation agreement was signed at a meeting between Ministers of Infrastructure, Environment and Spatial Planning, representatives of OTP bank, SŽ - Infrastruktura and Slovenske železnice (Slovenian Railways) and the Mayor of Ljubljana Zoran Janković. The project will be coordinated by State Secretary Blaž Košorok on behalf of the Ministry of Infrastructure, and it represents a substantial investment, standing at 387.8 million euros.

109.8 million euros of this amount will be national funding, while another part of the public railway infrastructure will be co-financed with European money. Slovenian Railways will contribute another 28 million, while the private investor Mendota Invest will add 250 million euros. 

The project of the Ljubljana Passenger Terminal consists of 3 parts: 

• Construction of a new railway station and associated track infrastructure and platforms;
• Construction of a new bus station with a parking house above the bus station;
• a commercial part, with a shopping and entertainment centre, an office building and a hotel.

The Slovene government has now included the construction in its top strategic projects and is likely to give it a fast-track procedure for completion, including building permits, documentation and administrative decisions. 

“The goal is to carry out the project in the shortest possible time, cost-effectively and transparently. Ljubljana has been waiting for this important project for 18 years. When taking over the ministry, this project was waiting in a drawer, the investor was just about to leave Slovenia, also due to our slowness in the past. I am very pleased that we managed to convince such a serious and reliable investor as OTP bank that the project of building the Ljubljana Passenger Centre is worth supporting," said Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec.

He also said that the revival of the project clearly shows the importance of foreign investment for the Government and that the Slovenian capital deserved a modern bus and train station.