Last update for this page: 05 January 2007.
National railway system: Slovenske Železnice (SŽ)
Language: Slovene
Currency: Euro, which superseded the Tolar on 1 January 2007.
UIC code: 79
Timetable: Vozni Red. This includes introductory material in French and German. Some non-standard symbols are used to indicate days of the week on which trains run. A very simple, fold-out route diagram shows a few principal stations.
Gauge: Standard
Electrification: 3000 V dc
Rule of the road: Left, except between Zidani Most and Dobova/Savski Marof.
Other railways: None
Tourist lines: None, but an electric narrow-gauge railway conveys visitors through spectacular caves near Postojna.
Metro: None
Trams: None.
Trolleybuses: None
Recent and future changes: SŽ was established in 1992 and is essentially the former JŽ Ljubljana Division, less lines in Istria that now come within Croatia. The branch to Murska Sobota has been extended to Zalalovo in Hungary, in order to create a direct link between the SŽ and MÁV systems, avoiding the need to transit Croatia. The line was reported to have been completed in December 2000 and opened officially on 2 March 2001. Proposals for a direct line between Koper and Trieste (Italy) are being studied.
The 1km branch from Ljubljana Polje to BTC City Ljubljana opened in 2005 or 2006 - see SI07/2.
Special notes: Most internal passenger services, designated Potniški, are worked by multiple-units calling at most or all stations. Higher fares are charged for travel on express trains (Eurocity, Intercity, Regionali, Mednarodni or Zeleni), but by West European standards all fares are very cheap. International trains can be delayed by prolonged stops for border checks. There are relatively few cross-border trains, so the bus service approximately hourly between Trieste and Koper stations can be a convenient way of entering and leaving the country.
Maps: SŽ publishes the "Turistična Karta Slovenskih Železnic" which shows Slovenian railways on a 1:300000 general map. Electrified and double-track lines are distinguished and most freight lines are shown. Brief notes are given, in English, German, Italian and Slovene, on features of general interest at many towns.
Last complete update 17 August 1999; "timetable maps" added (11 January 2000); general updates (18 February 2001, 20 April 2001, 15 July 2001); minor update (26 January 2003); "Rule of the Road" updated (18 April 2004); "Currency" and "Recent and Future Changes" updated (5 January 2007).
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