Slovenske železnice, Logistics 2021 by Bebic

September 2021

Logistics 2021

Magazine by Slovenske železnice

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Fersped, d.o.o.

Quick response, fast routes and flexibility when you need it

We provide our customers and partners with comprehensive logistics solutions and at the same time offer optimisation of logistics services and high-quality aftersales services. We take advantage of the excellent geographical position and good connections. Take advantage of them with us. Zaloška cesta 219, 1000 Ljubljana Phone: +386 1 300 71 12 info@fersped.si 2

SŽ-Tovorni promet, d.o.o.

Connecting Europe

Competitiveness, customer orientation and sustainability. We offer comprehensive logistics solutions. We guarantee fast, safe and high-quality transports at competitive prices. We deliver to final customers. Kolodvorska 11, 1000 Ljubljana Phone: +386 1 29 14 280 cargo@slo-zeleznice.si

Logistics

Editorial

Without logistics,

it simply

won’t work…

t is one of the fastest growing industries, not only in the world, but also in Slovenia. It is true that the coronavirus crisis, or the pandemic, has been a shock to the world economy, disrupting many transport, logistics and supply routes (just remember the problems many companies have had, including Slovenian ones, with the supply of parts originating in Asia, i.e. China), but the situation is “calming down”. As experts say, the “new normal” has become a reality. Whether it will be that long-term or not is, of course, another question. But one thing is certain: Jože Bonča the coronavirus crisis has thoroughly refreshed the logistics processes of managing goods from suppliers to end customers, creating new approaches, challenges and opportunities, which some others have taken less advantage of. That’s what happens in a competitive economy. And if the cost of logistics in underdeveloped economies is up to 25 percent of GDP, that cost is between 7 and 8 percent of GDP among OECD countries. In other words: 7 to 8 per cent contributes to domestic GDP. That’s what the stats are telling us. More efficient logistics certainly makes an important contribution to the competitiveness and growth of the economy. The second track between Where does Slovenia come in? As you will be able to read Koper and Divača must in a special issue of the magazine by Slovenske železnice – we are logistics and we can become even more competitive be just the beginning in the global logistics world. What do the most important of a new renaissance, a Slovenian logisticians, the Slovenske železnice Group and new, modern, developed Pošta Slovenije, say about the opportunities created by the coronavirus crisis? What has been and will be happening railway infrastructure in the coming years regarding the railway infrastructure, on that will meet the future which the future of Slovenian logistics depends. What are challenges of global the most important railway infrastructure acquisitions in European Year of Rail 2021? Construction work on the logistics and sustainable the second railway line between Koper and Divača has finally mobility in our country. started this year. What will the second track bring to the Slovenske železnice Group in 2026, when traffic is expected to flow on it? Last but not least, what will that give to the Port of Koper? The port represents not only a maritime window to the world for Slovenia and Slovenian companies, but also for the countries in the hinterland, in our neighbourhood. The second track between Koper and Divača must be just the beginning of a new renaissance, a new, modern, developed railway infrastructure that will meet the future challenges of global logistics and sustainable mobility in our country.

Content

Editorial Jože Bonča

Without logistics, it simply won’t work…

26 Port of Koper

Plans of the Slovenian window to the world

Logisticians say port and rail link is crucial

Interview Dušan Mes, Director General of Slovenske železnice

The second track is a key priority, but other crucial railway infrastructure will also have to be built

Success

Freight transport Leading railway freight carrier

Innovative logistics solutions

Slovenian know-how draws demanding customers

New products and updated rolling stock focused on customers and needs

30 34 Interview Pavle Hevka, General Manager of 2TDK

Interview Dean Peršić, Director of Fersped

The second railway track between Koper and Divača will open in 2026

Synergies in the group are crucial for the future growth of Fersped and Slovenske železnice

The beginning of a new revival of modern railway infrastructure in Slovenia

Interview Igor Jakomin, lecturer at the Faculty of Logistics

Colophon Publisher: Slovenske železnice, d.o.o., Public Relations

Editorial Board: Jože Bonča, Tea Šavor, Gregor Kukovica, Marko Tancar, Dubravka Urban

Photography: IS2S, Slovenske železnice, 2TDK archives, Port of Koper archives, Pošta Slovenije, Innofreight Austria archives

Our goal is to become the leading regional carrier

A record EUR 509m for railways in the European Year of Rail

Logistics share in GDP is growing and becoming more significant

After half a century, the train ride between Ljubljana and Kočevje is back

Most environmentally sustainable mode of transport

Key events in the world

Interview Melita Rozman Dacar, Director of SŽ-Tovorni promet

Investments Railway network maintenance

40 42

Interview Jernej Vrtovec, Minister of Infrastructure

Passenger trains

Renovation Railway passenger transport re-established

High-speed railways How fast will the trains be

Interview Tomaž Kokot, interim general manager of Pošta Slovenije

News

How realistic are high-speed railways in Slovenia?

Pošta Slovenije is a modern, environmentally and user-friendly company

Comprehensive modernization of passenger transport by Slovenske železnice

News from the world of logistics and transport

Photo on the cover page: IS2S

Number of copies: 500 Printed at: SŽŽelezniška tiskarna Ljubljana

Design: Nenad Bebić Proofreading: Tina Ajd

Translation: Leemeta

Interview with the Director General of Slovenske železnice

Second Track is a Key Priority, but other crucial railway infrastructure

will also have to be built The Director General of Slovenske železnice, Dušan Mes, is convinced of this on the occasion of the European Year of Rail 2021. It will also be necessary to save railway freight traffic through Ljubljana, build a second track towards Jesenice and a second track between Maribor and Šentilj and, of course, a modern Ljubljana Passenger Centre. In the coming years, as much of the freight as possible will have to be moved from road to rail. “We’ll finally have to start realizing that a large number of trucks on Slovenian roads is not the solution,” cautions Dušan Mes.

e’re in the second half of the European Year of Rail 2021. What has or will it bring to Slovenske železnice? The European Commission’s been focusing on rail transport within the European Union for some time, and we expect it to simplify railway legislation as it needs to be brought closer to users. Rail freight must become equivalent to road freight in the foreseeable future. For the time being, there are still too many bureau-

cratic obstacles, the railway infrastructure is not uniform, and in order to achieve the sole goal of making European rail more competitive than road transport and having compatible trans-European rail, some processes and procedures will need to be simplified – including legislative ones. Individual countries within the EU are already successful at doing this, but most are not, and all too often it remains just a word on paper as politics has imagined it. In recent years, Slovenske železnice has got out of the red and is now back on track. You’re in your third term as Director General of Slovenske železnice, it’s the tenth year, and many admit that you’ve written a positive story.

Logistics and passenger transport. Transport corridors run through our country mainly from the northern Adriatic ports, and passenger transport can also be successfully developed. The country is small, decentralized compared to some other European countries. What we need to do is build a quality railway network that will offer the most to passengers and, of course, to users of the logistics chain. Slovenia is certainly a country where railway transport has a future. It’s necessary to follow the example of our northern neighbours, because in the south, things aren’t going as fast as they could. Slovenia must connect with Austrian and German logistics as soon as possible. Also, passenger transport samples should be transferred from Austria, Switzerland and Germany. Those countries have used their various products and services to bring rail passenger As a transport closer to passengers. country,

Slovenia is a serious partner and everyone has plans for how to increase the volume of business through the Port of Koper and on the railway infrastructure.”

Has Slovenske železnice already reached the optimal number of employees? Absolutely. However, downsizing was necessary for the company to survive and become profitable. If Slovenske železnice hadn’t been successful in the last six or seven years, many projects wouldn’t have succeeded. Both deleveraging and state aid itself – if the strategic partner hadn’t joined SŽ-Tovorni promet, the state would probably not have Dušan Mes, Director invested as much in modernizing the railway infrastructure General of Slovenske as it does now. It should also be železnice noted here that the volume of services will increase in the future in both freight and passenger segments. In SŽTovorni promet, along with our strategic partner, we expect an increase in the volume of freight and, of course, the expansion of the activities of SlovenToday we have good business results at SŽ-Tovorni ske železnice outside Slovenia. In the future, after promet, we’re interesting, and there’s fresh capital the completion of major infrastructure projects, coming into the company. We’ve maintained a passenger transport will be able to further increase majority 51% ownership stake in the company its train schedule and range of services, and Slovprecisely in order to take over or buy individual enske železnice, with those bold plans in mind, will companies in Austria, Italy, Hungary and hopefully have more employees in the next four or five years. in Croatia as soon as possible… According to Dušan Mes, the Director General of Slovenske železnice, this How do you assess the business done in the needs to be done before 2026, as soon as the second past three years, including in terms of the track between Koper and Divača is built. coronavirus crisis that’s at least temporarily Commercial revenues and profits are rising, the number of employees has decreased… Slovenia is in the core of Europe and it would be unusual if rail transport didn’t have more weight. We’re an ideal country in terms of both freight

interrupted, if not entirely brought numerous transport and logistics routes, our society and passenger transport to a complete halt? I can say with certainty that we’ve come out of the crisis unscathed. Certain things happened much faster than they would have otherwise without the

Interview with the Director General of Slovenske železnice coronavirus crisis. That’s something that we’re content with, in a way. The country’s taken relatively successful measures to help the economy. We were all in the same situation, the world as a whole, all of Europe. I think we at Slovenske železnice have made good use of this period, so I believe that today we’re doing better than we were before the coronavirus crisis. Has the coronavirus crisis also opened up new opportunities and possibilities? Of course, some companies have successfully overcome the crisis and others haven’t. Some railway companies in Europe are having major problems, and some are even better off than before the crisis. Some Rail freight must have adapted faster, others haven’t. We’ve done a relatively become equivalent good job in these times. to road freight in the

foreseeable future.

With the entry of a strategic partner, the Czech EP Holding, into SŽ-Tovorni promet, you’ve outlined a new strategic path. Slovenske železnice wants to create a leading company in the field of logistics in this part of Europe. In this light, you also plan to take over some companies in the neighbourhood… Are the targets already known? There’s been much talk of the dilemma of whether or not freight transport could survive on its own. There’s been a lot of talk in the past that the state has put the competition in freight transport onto the tracks, but that’s not up to the state. Europe’s demanding that local country monopolies should be abolished and the market liberalized. The liberalization of markets by individual member states has brought competition. There are more competitors elsewhere – in Austria, for example, there are 40 carriers, in Germany 70, almost 50 in Hungary, a lot of competition in individual Member States, of course, so users of rail freight services have better and cheaper services of higher quality, services at more competitive prices. Competition is driven by development or the economy, and Slovenia’s no exception. There has been and will be competition in Slovenia. When the second track between Koper and Divača is built, there’ll be at least 20 or 30 providers on the Slovenian railway network, meaning our competitors. SŽ-Tovorni promet without a strategic partner, without a financial, capital and strategic connection, would no longer be competitive in the future. Today we have good business results at Freight Transport, we’re interesting, and there’s fresh capital coming into the company. We’ve maintained a majority 51% ownership stake in the company precisely in order to take over or buy individual companies in Austria, Italy, Hungary and hopefully in Croatia as soon as possible…

We must do it before 2026, as soon as the second track between Koper and Divača is built. That way, we’ll become the leading railway operator, or logistician, in the field – that’s our goal. There’s no other way! We must remain very ambitious, we’ll take over companies abroad. Without greater competitiveness, better business results and greater investment, it’s not possible to provide better salaries for employees. For many years, decades, we’ve been hearing how freight and goods should be removed from the roads to the railway as quickly as possible but, unfortunately, we haven’t really seen it happen. Why is that? We’ve heard a lot of truisms and platitudes in recent years but, unfortunately, they have no basis

Logistics in reality. Rail transport has had a hard time competing with road transport. Some countries, having partly succeeded in that, have restricted road freight transport. Which means that they’ve determined when and where it can take place, but on the other hand, they’ve been actively promoting rail freight and, as a result, achieved good results. Austria and Switzerland are certainly among the countries reaping good results in the long run. They’ve significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions, especially in the Alpine valleys, where they’ve enabled a quality life, and based on that, they’ve seen some bonuses that other countries don’t have. Later on, when the state starts tackling that, it’ll get worse. In Slovenia, we’ll have to start realizing that a large number of trucks on the road is not the solution. However, it is true that at the

moment, even if we wanted to, our country cannot redirect all this freight from the roads to the railway, because it’s too crowded due to the outdated railway infrastructure. Freight transport by rail can’t become more competitive on its own, it simply doesn’t work. Europe, too, will have a long way to go in this area if it really wants to move more freight to the rails. Traffic on the second track is expected to start in May 2026 – says Pavle Hevka, General Manager of 2TDK. Namely, this state-owned company is taking care of the realization of a project worth almost a billion euros. At the moment, the Port of Kope and Slovenske železnice have reached their maximum. Of course, if we’re talking about the current state of infra-

When the second track between Koper and Divača is built, there’ll be at least 20 or 30 providers on the Slovenian railway network, meaning our competitors.”

Interview with the Director General of Slovenske železnice structure in the Port of Koper and on the rails, it’ll be necessary to increase the capacity if we want to communicate to our customers that we’re able to pursue their business and strategic goals. The logistician, who’s brought five trains to the Port of Koper per week, wants to double or even triple these numbers in the next 10 years or sooner. He knows that these possibilities don’t really exist at the moment, but things are actively moving on the second track and it’s becoming a reality. That’s an important message! As a country, Slovenia is a serious partner and everyone has plans for how to increase the volume of business through the Port of Koper and on the railway infrastructure. The second track is, of course, a key priority, and the rest of the infrastructure will have to be built. The Ljubljana section will have to be solved, railway freight transport through Ljubljana, the Ljubljana Passenger Centre, the second track towards Jesenice, and the second track between Maribor and Šentilj, all of which are extremely important for international logistics. What challenges await Passenger Transport in the light of the liberalization of the passenger rail transport and services market? Until 2031, Slovenske železnice will be the only carrier in passenger transport. We have a contract for the performance of the obligatory public utility service of passenger transport until that year. After that, there’ll be competition on the tracks in passenger transport as well. I’m certain there’ll be more candidates applying, which is good. And that’s because we at SŽ-Potniški promet will be even better, passengers will be able to choose

The Ljubljana Passenger Centre is expected to be built in the next two years, and construction will probably start next year.”

more services; competition is thus inevitable and contributes to the quality and greater range of services… At SŽ-Tovorni promet, after the entry of competition into the market of railway transport services in 2009, the situation improved and hasn’t worsened, we’ve become better. What does SŽ-Potniški promet need most? SŽ-Potniški promet will do everything it can: new trains, new user-friendly products, the digitalization of processes and modernization, which is already underway, but the key is, of course, to construct railway infrastructure and to upgrade regional railways - they’re the biggest bottleneck on the railway… The capital city urgently needs a modern passenger centre, too. The Ljubljana Passenger Centre is expected to be built in the next two years, construction will probably start in the second year, and then the need to upgrade and modernize regional routes – the Kamnik and Dolenjska lines with double-track to Grosuplje, these are the most important challenges for the wider Ljubljana area, we are all aware of that, including the state or the Ministry of Infrastructure. It’s interesting, however, that merely to build a railway line is a bigger problem than getting money for the investment. The processes of obtaining all the necessary permits and consents and placing the route in space are extremely complex, bureaucratic and time-consuming; often just obtaining all these documents takes four or five times longer than the construction itself.

Logistics

Success of a Carinthian company

Slovenian Know-How

Draws Demanding Customers The Carinthian company Innoduler is one of the important stones in the mosaic of the successful Austrian group Innofreight, which offers innovative logistics solutions for railways (modular systems of wagons, containers and unloading devices).

Due to the search for new markets and the increasing demand for their products, Innoduler will invest about eight million euros over two years.

he Austrian partner is a 50% company owner from Šentjanž near Dravograd, where the most modern container production in Slovenia was opened in September this year, in the European Year of Rail. As early as 2017, the company specialized in the production of containers, tanks and other wagon superstructures. In Šentjanž near Dravograd, almost a year and a half ago, they saw to it that the industrial railway track between Otiški Vrh and Dravograd would no longer be idle. The fast-growing company Innoduler, which also built around four thousand square metres of new production facilities right next to the railway line, uses robotic technology to provide complete solutions in the field of welded machine parts that require the highest

quality standards. This year, sales are expected to grow from last year's roughly nine million euros (they generated 710 thousand euros in net profit) to 10 to 12 million euros, and in 2022 it is expected to reach between 14 and 16 million euros. Innoduler has grown from a nearly 40-year family tradition in the field of welding and mechanical metalworking and now employs more than 110 workers. Due to the search for new markets and the increasing demand for their products, they will invest about eight million euros over two years, including in modern technological equipment and a technology centre with a laboratory that enables the education and training of employees, developments in automation and robotics, as well as the in-house testing of materials and welds required for the production of containers, tanks and other wagon superstructures.

Freight Transport

New Products

and Updated Rolling Stock Focused on Customers and Needs

Every day, more than 100 trains of the SŽ-Tovorni promet, a part of the Slovenske železnice Group, run on Slovenian railway tracks. More than 60 trains depart or arrive from the Port of Koper every day alone. SŽ-Tovorni promet is the leading railway freight carrier in Slovenia and one of the largest exporters of services.

he company’s goal is to become the leading logistics company in the area of Southeast Europe, i.e. in Slovenia, northern Italy, Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, and the rest of the Balkans. By continuing to modernise its fleet, the company’s goal is to increase its competitiveness as well as having an additional focus on customers and their needs. Integrated Customer-Tailored Logistics Solutions Our highly trained employees offer customers reliable and competitive services. In addition to rail

Logistics

transport, our solutions can also include ongoing quality distribution of goods and door-to-door delivery, warehousing and other solutions, in accordance with customer expectations. We offer competitive prices on the entire transport route, transport planning, safety and loading advice, transport of shipments on the desired route, as well as customs clearance and freight forwarding services, overseas and road transport in cooperation with Fersped. Together with our sister company, SŽ-VIT, we can offer maintenance and repair of wagons, whereas SŽ-ŽIP takes care of

cargo safety. We also operate as a self-propelled carrier in Austria and Croatia. With our own products we connect markets from Germany, Italy, Austria to the countries of southeast Europe. We are planning to expand our business to other key markets in the region by offering comprehensive transport and logistics services in cooperation with long-term partners. Wherever required, customers will also be able to independently enter key markets and develop comprehensive logistics services for individual key customers, markets and product groups.

New Modern Locomotives and Wagons The company SŽ-Tovorni promet continues the project of extensive fleet modernisation. Last year, we received four new diesel locomotives from the Czech manufacturer CZ Loko. They are operated in the Port of Koper. With these locomotives, which have become more environmentally friendly and quieter, SŽ-Tovorni promet will comprehensively improve its services and significantly reduce operating and maintenance costs. In recent years, SŽ-Tovorni promet has also purchased 100 state-of-the-art universal low-floor

container wagons from the Austrian manufacturer Innofreight for the transport of bulk cargo. The new freight wagons enable higher loadbearing capacity and are easier to use than the existing wagons, and they can be adapted to different types of freight. Composite silent LL brakes (brake blocks) are installed on Eaos, Habbiinss and Regs series freight wagons. At SŽTovorni promet, we also equip locomotives with the GSM-R system, which is part of the ETCS/ ERTMS project and will ensure the full international interoperability of our locomotives.

Interview with the Director of SŽ-Tovorni promet

Our goal is for SŽ–Tovorni promet

to become the leading regional carrier

The second track between Divača and Koper is one of the key projects for Slovenian logistics and Slovenske železnice, says Melita Rozman Dacar, Director of SŽ-Tovorni promet. She points out that the comprehensive modernization of the Slovenian railway network and the rolling stock of SŽ-Tovorni promet is already underway. Since EP Holding has entered as a strategic partner, she expects the flows of goods to be redirected through both the Port of Koper and to the corridors across Slovenia.

he plan of SŽ-Tovorni promet and its strategic partner, the Czech EP Holding, is to become the leading logistics company in the area of Southeast Europe (Slovenia, northern Italy, Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and the rest of the Balkans). What will the strategic partnership bring to SŽ-Tovorni promet? SŽ-Tovorni promet is the leading railway freight carrier in Slovenia and one of the largest exporters of services. More than 90 percent of all goods are transported in international traffic. In recent years, however, we have accelerated our activities in the markets in the region, where we have established ourselves as one of the important carriers and initiators of cooperation in the development of new products. With the entry of a strategic partner into SŽ-Tovorni promet, we want to internationalize operations in key markets of Central and South-Eastern Europe. Our goal is for SŽ-Tovorni promet to become the leading independent regional carrier in railway freight transport. We want to offer our customers modern logistics solutions tailored to their needs. We want to connect goods flows even more efficiently on the longest possible transport route and offer rail connections that will divert more freight from road to rail. We also expect that the strategic partner will redirect certain goods flows through the Port of Koper and to the corridors through Slovenia. Our development will be supported by new purchases of modern wagons and locomotives, and we will additionally secure access to new equipment through strategic connections with logistics companies abroad. Together with our strategic partner, we will offer existing and new customers even more efficient comprehensive solutions, which we will perform over longer distances and in markets we have not been active in so far. In an even more active range of comprehensive logistics services, we will work with other companies in the Slovenske železnice Group to provide added value to our customers. We should also not forget inland container ports, where we will further develop services and connect the road and rail. The railway infrastructure in Slovenia is quite outdated and limits the increase in traffic – including freight traffic. How will you increase traffic? You have also announced takeovers of companies abroad several times, who are the targets? The fact is that the railway infrastructure is largely outdated and in need of renovation. This is reflected in a number of restrictions, such as low axle loads, lower speeds, restrictions on the maximum length of freight trains and restrictions on the maximum permitted train speed, as well as a number of planned and unplanned obstacles on the line. As a result, track and line closures are a constant due to the necessity

Logistics

Interview with the Director of SŽ-Tovorni promet of maintenance, and construction projects further reduce the flow rate. However, it should be pointed out that investment in infrastructure is the only solution for development and competitiveness. In the short term, this means serious problems, but in the long term, greater infrastructure capacity and greater competitiveness of the corridors running through Slovenia. Last year and this year, the longterm complete closure of the Jesenice line due to works in the Karawanks railway tunnel between Slovenia and Austria has been causing significant setbacks. Therefore, we’ve had to redirect all traffic from the Jesenice border crossing, the vast majority to the Šentilj border crossing. There are more than four million tons of goods that we drive mostly across one border crossing that was already heavily loaded before the start of construction work. In order to provide the best possible customer service in the current situation, together with colleagues from other companies in the SŽ Group, we’re constantly looking for solutions, optimizing processes and adapting them to the given situation. We’ve established the joint use of locomotives with other carriers as well as other measures that enable Modern us to maximize the flow. During vehicles the closure of the Karawanks Tunnel, a large part of the Goremean njska line on the section from nothing Kranj to Jesenice is also being

without professional and hard-working employees. That’s why we constantly take care of knowledge transfer, introduce sustainable management and give opportunities to young people, even in responsible leadership positions. Melita Rozman Dacar, Director of SŽ-Tovorni promet

rapidly renovated, as this will reduce the negative consequences for carriers. There are also obstacles on other important sections of the railway lines, such as the closure of one track between Ljubljana and Brezovica, while the renovation of most of the section between Ljubljana and Divača will take place over the next five years. It should be emphasized that the implementation of construction works on lines in Slovenia is exemplary, despite the frequent ill-will of service users and carriers. If we compare our work with obstacles in other countries, we are looking for solutions that would have the least possible impact on the transport of passengers and goods, while in other countries we have considerably more issues to deal with. »We’ve invested in 100 state-of-the-art universal low-floor wagons, which are suitable for transporting several types of cargo with various upgrades; we’ve made available four modern diesel locomotives on the market and we’re completing a full renovation of 12 existing locomotives. Also, we’ve been installing the GSM-R communication system on the locomotives. It’s part of the European ETCS/ERTMS traffic management system that will replace the often incompatible national systems across Europe, and enable the full international interoperability of locomotives,« says Melita Rozman Dacar, Director of SŽ-Tovorni promet.

Logistics There’s a plan for the modernization of Slovenian lines that is being prepared. Which ones are the most important for freight transport? Of particular importance for freight are the lines of the main transport crossroads, which also include the international railway corridors designated by the European Union as part of the European core rail freight network. These lines need to be upgraded as a matter of urgency to meet European standards, but in any case, within the limits and timetables that will be acceptable to keep cargo on the way to, from and through Slovenia. At the same time, we must not forget the branch railway lines that SŽ-Tovorni promet, as the only railway undertaking, uses to supply important Slovenian companies. Branch lines and container traffic need to be further developed, including through incentives for customers to opt for rail services. This will relieve already overcrowded roads and reduce negative impacts on our natural environment. The state is building a second track, which will increase the capacity of carriers and logistics. What does this mean for Slovenske železnice? How are you preparing for increased throughput and when should the second track be completed by in order to meet the development ambitions of foreign logistics companies? Unfortunately, we’ve been late with the second track by several years, because we’re being overtaken by neighbouring countries building railway connections past Slovenia and the Port of Koper. The second track between Divača and Koper is one of the key projects for Slovenian logistics and also for Slovenske železnice, as more than half of our transport runs through Koper. We want a new double-track line to be built as soon as possible. Of course, the comprehensive modernization of the Slovenian railway network is necessary. That’s been accelerating in recent years. Of course, we’re not waiting for the time when traffic will flow along the new line, we’re creating logistics solutions to increase traffic. Due to the limited capacity of the Koper line, which doesn’t allow long trains to run, we’ve established hubs where we remove wagons from the long trains and send them to Koper with the next train. On the return trip, we add empty wagons there again. Using two locomotives, we also transport heavy trains between Croatia, Hungary and Italy. Although this means higher costs for us, we also accept numerous unplanned trains. This reduces the congestion of the railway networks in neighbouring countries and enables the shortest possible transit times for customers. Also, we’re constantly looking for solutions with other companies of the Slovenske železnice Group to increase efficiency and adapt to the position on the line.

In the coming years, Ljubljana could become a railway traffic bottleneck. The reason is the construction of the Ljubljana Passenger Centre, a new railway and a bus station. How will you solve issues and setbacks? I’m confident that the public railway infrastructure manager will take all the necessary measures to minimize the impact on the work of railway undertakings. Of course, we’ll also take measures of our own to offer our customers the best possible services, as they’re always our first priority. In the long run, without modernization works, freight traffic passing through the very centre of Ljubljana is certainly not an optimal and suitable solution. The construction of a direct connection between the Koper and Gorenjska lines would significantly reduce the traffic load in the centre of the capital and also increase the efficiency of transport. How did you update your rolling stock? In recent years, we’ve invested heavily in the modernization of our rolling stock. We’ve invested in 100 state-of-the-art universal low-floor wagons, which are suitable for transporting several types of cargo with various upgrades. In January this year, we launched four modern diesel locomotives, and the full renovation, i.e. engine overhaul, of 12 existing locomotives will be completed this year. Also, we’ve been installing the GSM-R communication system on the locomotives. It’s part of the European ETCS/ERTMS traffic management system that will replace the often incompatible national systems across Europe, and enable the full international interoperability of locomotives. The final phase is the acquisition of documentation for the further modernization of our fleet of electric and diesel locomotives. In the coming years, we intend to invest a large part of the money in new vehicles, completely modernizing our rolling stock. This will allow us to further improve our services. Would you like to add something in the end? We must not forget the commitment of our employees, their professionalism and loyalty to the company. Every individual counts. This has also been shown during the COVID-19 epidemic. Thanks to the efforts of our colleagues in our company and other companies of the SŽ Group, we managed to ensure that even in times of the worst constraints, freight trains did not stop even for a day. We try to constantly take care of knowledge transfer, introduce sustainable management and give opportunity to young people, even in responsible leadership positions. Only as a company where employees are constantly trained and grow professionally will we be able to continue to develop successfully.

Investments

A Record EUR 509M

for Railways in the European Year of Rail

In recent years, Slovenia has been allocating more and more money for railway projects. In 2019, a total of approximately EUR 410M was earmarked for the railway, a year later just shy of EUR 419M, and this year a record EUR 509M. These are funds from the state budget and European funds intended for investments in the railway network and its maintenance.

n July this year, the modernisation and safety and technical upgrade of the Karawanks tunnel, a 7,976-metre railway tunnel, an important cross-border route on the Munich–Salzburg–Ljubljana–Thessaloniki railway, was completed. The tunnel was opened to traffic as far back as 1906. After a nine-month total closure of the tunnel, freight and passenger traffic resumed. The value of the project on the Slovenian side amounts to EUR 79.31M (EUR 53.9M is planned for this year), with co-financing with European cohesion funds in the amount of EUR 49.23M. The tunnel upgrade made railway traffic faster. Instead of a maximum of 50km/h, passenger trains now run up to 120km/h and

Ljubljana - Jesenice state border track upgrade

The Karawanks railway tunnel

Construction will continue on the line between Podnart and Lesce-Bled stations, and Kranj and Podnart. This year, work will also begin on the sections Lesce-Bled - Žirovnica, Žirovnica-Slovenski Javornik and Slovenski Javornik - Jesenice.

The Karawanks railway tunnel is undergoing technical renovation. After the completion of the maintenance, evacuation routes, communication systems, systems for accidents will be renewed. The plan is to completely revamp the damaged parts of the tunnel pipe construction, to renew will improve the safety and technical situation in the tunnel and the safety of rail transport as well as passengers in general.

The second track of the Ljubljana - Jesenice line In order to increase the capacity of the line between Ljubljana and Jesenice in the future, the construction of a second track of the Ljubljana-Kranj-Jesenice-state border line with a connection to Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport is already in the pipeline. The track is to run in a completely new corridor.

Jesenice Bohinjska Bistrica

Ljubljana - Divača track upgrade As part of the Ljubljana - Divača line upgrade, work will begin this year between Ljubljana and Borovnica. The works will include technical and technological track upgrades, and maintenance of level crossing, extra-level access to stopping points and the stops themselves. The basic goals are to eliminate bottlenecks on the line, upgrade the line to category D4, and increase the throughput and transport capacity of the line.

Most na Soči Anhovo Nova Gorica Gorica Ajdovščina Postojna Trst

Cross-border railway connection Trieste - Divača

Divača Sežana

At the end of last year, Slovenia and Italy signed an agreement

Koper

connection between Trieste and Divača.

The second railway track This year, the main construction works on the second track between Koper and Divača will begin. Contracts with selected contractors will be signed in the spring, and work is expected to begin.

Mag. Dejan Jurkovič. freight trains up to 100km/h. “According to current traffic forecasts and analyses, the uniformity of the line in the Karawanks railway tunnel

will be sufficient at least until 2040,” said Mag. Dejan Jurkovič, Head of the Railway Investment Department at the Directorate of the Republic of Slovenia for Infrastructure. Extensive modernisation works on the railway line between Kranj and Jesenice were also completed this year. During the complete closure, 33km of the line were upgraded in nine months, and the estimated value of the upgrade is EUR 166M. Among the important railway projects in 2021 is also the upgrade of the ex-

Pivka

Ilirska Bistrica Podgorje

Logistics

Rail infrastructure investment projects on our tracks Maribor - Šentilj station upgrade

Emonika

Domžale station upgrade

Construction of the bus and train stations as part of the Emonika project will begin in 2022.

At the Domžale station, construction will include track, track device and platform renovation, lift installation, and parking area maintenance. The capacity of the station will be higher, and longer trains will be able to make a stop. The station area will be adapted for people with reduced mobility.

This year, work will continue on the upgrade of the Maribor-Šentilj line. The goal is to increase the capacity of the railway line, upgrade it to category D4, renovate railway stations and stops, reconstruct the rolling stock network, and arrange level crossings of roads with the railway line.

Hodoš

Dravograd

Maribor

Ruše Maribor Tezno

Upgrading the railway node in Pragersko

Murska Sobota Gornja Radgona Lendava

The upgrade of the node will include renovating the Pragersko railway station, upgrading the tracks and track devices, signal safety and telecommunication devices, the rolling stock network as well as construction of two platforms, the arrangement of access points, parking lots, and noise barriers. Two of the basic goals are to increase the line category from C3 (20 tons/axle) to D4 (load capacity 22.5 tons/axle) and to improve the technical and technological parameters of the station and its node, which is an integral part of TEN-T.

Ljutomer Ormož

Pragersko Slovenska Bistrica Velenje Kranj

Rogatec

Celje Stranje

Domžale

Ljubljana

Zidani Most Sevnica

Grosuplje

Zabok

Imeno

Other major projects continuing in 2021:

Trebnje

Borovnica

The budget of the Republic of Slovenia earmarked for railways in 2021 is EUR 509m. Investor: Directorate of the Republic of Slovenia for Infrastructure (DRSI) - Ministry of Infrastructure (MZI)

Poljčane

- Installation of the ETCS system between Zidani Most and Dobova as well as Pragersko and Šentilj

Dobova

Novo mesto

Zidani Most-Ljubljana Ribnica Kočevje

Other major planned projects (for which public procurement will be announced this year)

Metlika

- Zagorje station upgrade - Šentjur station upgrade - Video surveillance system on railway lines Zidani Most - Šentilj - state border and Zidani Most - Ljubljana - Passenger information system on railway lines Zidani Most - Šentilj - state border and Zidani Most - Ljubljana

Črnomelj

Grosuplje station upgrade At the Grosuplje station, renovations will be carried out on tracks and track devices, two island platforms, its canopy and underpass, the station building and its surroundings. Among the basic objectives, two are intended to increase the transport and throughput capacity of the line, and to upgrade to category D4.

Key:

Major investment projects on public railway infrastructure in 2021 Planned major infrastructure projects

Matjaž Kranjc isting railway line between Maribor and Šentilj, which is worth almost EUR 286.65M (EUR 51.6M are planned this year). According to Matjaž Kranjc,

Director of SŽ-Infrastruktura, this is a project that also envisages a new viaduct across the Pesnica valley and the Pekel tunnel. In the year of rails, the construction of the largest infrastructure project in recent decades continues – the second track between Divača and Koper, for which a total of almost EUR 23.7M is planned this year, and the upgrade of the railway hub in Pragersko, worth a little less than EUR 90M. In August this year, work began on upgrading the 8-km section of one track of the line on the

Ljubljana–Brezovica route. The project is worth EUR 65M. By investing in the 1,207-kilometre railway network, the network of main and regional lines is slowly but steadily modernising, ensuring higher flow and shorter travel times, which is of particular importance in passenger transport. It is not uncommon to believe that Slovenia would need around EUR 500M a year for railways at least until 2040 if it wanted to catch up with developed European countries.

Jernej Vrtovec, Minister of Infrastructure

“The second track is of great importance for the logistics and wider industry, which is also reflected in the so-called multiplicative effects. In our surroundings and the region, very similar projects are intensively being built. These are important for Slovenia because they represent competition to our public railway infrastructure. Like the second track, they are part of the key corridors co-financed by the EU,” says Jernej Vrtovec, Minister of Infrastructure.

Logistics

Logistics Share in GDP is Growing and

Becoming More Significant Slovenia is very important on the logistics map of Europe – due to our central location at the crossroads of important transport corridors – so its geographical location must be exploited even more. “With the construction of the second track between Koper and Divača, we’ll increase capacity from the current 90 trains per day and 14M tonnes per year to 231 trains per day and 43.4M tonnes per year,” says Jernej Vrtovec, Minister of Infrastructure. he second track is the largest railway infrastructure project in recent years, if not decades – we have finally seen it, after many complications and inconveniences in the past. How do you respond to criticism that we are already late with the second track? As early as 1995, the National Assembly adopted the National Programme for the Development of the Slovenian Railway Infrastructure, in which we undertook to build the second track between Koper and Divača by 2000. The first variant of the route was constructed in 1996. It’s unacceptable that it took 26 years for us to finally sign the contract to build the second track. During this period, we’ve been overtaken by neighbouring countries with the construction of high-capacity bypass lines that, to a certain extent, has also led to the diversion of traffic flows past Slovenia. We would definitely like the

Jernej Vrtovec, Minister of Infrastructure second track to be in operation already. Given the saturation of the existing line, we can’t afford additional congestion, but we have to build the second track at full steam. What will it bring to the Slovenian economy? Igor Masten PhD and Aleš Groznik PhD have calculated that were we to be without the second track in the period 2026–2055, the economy would lose between EUR 1.96 and 3.07 billion Given the added value, or EUR 145M of saturation of of value added annually, which is the existing about a third of a percent of GDP. line, we can’t For Slovenian logistics, the loss of value added would be between afford additional EUR 1.4 and 2.2 billion. The seccongestion, but we ond track is of great importance for the logistics and wider indushave to build the try, which is also reflected in the second track at full so-called multiplicative effects. In steam.” our surroundings and the region, very similar projects are intensively being built. These are important for Slovenia because they represent competition to our public railway infrastructure. Like the second track, they are part of the key corridors co-financed by the EU. Given today’s dynamics and schedule, the projects in the region are being completed just after the completion of the construction of the second track between Divača and Koper. As the existing line between Divača and Koper is oversaturated, that fact limits the development of the Port of Koper, which is also indicated by the numbers.

I’m advocating partnerships with the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe that represent the most important markets for the Port of Koper.

That will certainly open up new avenues and opportunities for railway operators and logisticians… Indeed. The second track represents important development opportunities for logistics. Due to its geographical location, Slovenia has an important position in the European railway network. The Slovenian railway network is connected to the Baltic-Adriatic, Mediterranean and Amber Rail Freight corridors, which are essential for our economy. Logistics infrastructure is an important part of the export orientation of the Slovenian economy, which is why its development is so important. The Port of Koper stands on the site that represents the shortest transport route between the Mediterranean and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. At the ministry, we place great emphasis on logistics, develop logistics centres, establish new ones and promote logistics activities. The

construction of the second track will certainly be very important for this industry. The share of logistics in GDP is growing and becoming increasingly important. The second track will also be extremely important for railway undertakings, as the current bottleneck in accessing the Port of Koper will be released, which means more freight transported in less time, with less risk of delays. With the construction of the second track, we’ll increase capacity from the current 90 trains per day and 14M tonnes per year to 231 trains per day and 43.4M tonnes per year. What will the Port of Koper and Slovenske železnice gain? I am asking because the mavens believe that a competitive struggle between ports (especially in the North Adriatic) is taking place, harming the railways. In its six-year strategy, the Port of Koper envisages more than half a billion euros of investments by the end of 2025, specifically EUR 576.6M. Thus, the opening of the second track in 2026 will be expected ready for further throughput growth, thus maintaining an advantage over the competition in container throughput. Without a second track, further growth in throughput would depend on road transport that’s not competitive with rail over long distances, which would mean stagnation of the Port of Koper compared to neighbouring ports that mostly lag behind the Port of Koper, but still have large reserves of transshipped goods by rail. At the same time, we must not forget the European Green Deal, with which the European Union has committed itself to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Rail transport must play a key role in decarbonising transport. We need to make sure that in 2026, when the second track is built, we take full advantage of all the opportunities that the new line will offer us. I’m advocating partnerships with the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe that represent the most important markets for the Port of Koper. What will the second track bring to rail transport? Especially shorter travel times and higher speeds, instead of 45 minutes we’ll be travelling between Divača and Koper for 17 minutes at a speed of 160km/h. That and the upgrade of the line between Ljubljana and Divača will certainly make more people to use the train, which is also in line with the already mentioned European Green Deal. In recent years, we have been actively updating the Slovenian railway network. With the past financial perspective, the accelerated reconstruction of railway infrastructure has begun with the help of European funds. This year,

Logistics for the first time in the history of the Ministry of Infrastructure, we have more than a billion euros in funds available in the budget, which is about EUR 200M more than last year. Most of the money will be used for transport infrastructure, mostly in the field of rail, i.e. EUR 509M. With the first cycle that is slowly coming to an end and using European funds, the existing corridor lines have been upgraded in accordance with European standards. This year, we’ve completed the upgrade of the Zidani most–Celje railway line, the Karawanks railway tunnel and the Kranj–Podnart and Podnart–Lesce Bled sections, as well as the third section between Lesce Bled and Jesenice. In the second cycle, the plan is to invest in the upgrade of regional routes and the construction of new routes with the aim of increasing speed and consequently shortening travel time. Experts believe that Slovenia should allocate around 500 million euros annually for investments in railways by 2040. Would that somehow “catch up with” the more developed western countries? Is that a reality? Where

would we get the funds from? European funds and the budget? Is Slovenia able to provide so much money and provide so many infrastructure projects on the railway? Ensuring stable financial resources is key. A constant level of resources that doesn’t fluctuate from year to year would help all stakeRail holders, such as the client, transport the engineer, the designers, must play the contractors and others, to adapt, or to be appropriately a key role dimensioned, so that it would in decarbonising be easier to plan projects and transport. We need make it possible to realise investments at the level of 500 to make sure that million per year. That’s why it in 2026, when the would be necessary to consider second track is a dedicated law or fund for the financing of railway or transbuilt, we take full port infrastructure. Undoubtadvantage of all the edly, European funds that we’ve opportunities that been drawing very successfully the new line will in recent years are also of great

offer us.”

Jernej Vrtovec, Minister of Infrastructure

Jernej Vrtovec, Minister of Infrastructure help in making major investments. Last year, we achieved the highest share of drawing EU funds from the financial perspective 2014–2020 compared to the planned funds, namely 90%. The funds drawn were EUR 101.4M from EU funds out of the planned EUR 112.5M. One often hears that coronavirus crisis is also a great opportunity for Slovenian companies, including transport and logistics. Indeed. Circumstances have reliably accelerated the digitisation of procedures and documents in the industry. Digitisation is a significant advantage, especially in the current situation, and will, for example, enable faster procedures at border crossings, as the share of control of physical documents by supervisory authorities will be reduced.

Logistics is expected to provide accurate, safe, reliable and affordable transport of products to the end user.”

Where is Slovenia on the logistics map of Europe and the world? The world is becoming more global day by day, and logistics is one of the key tools for achieving the goals in trade. Logistics is expected to provide accurate, safe, reliable and af-

Instead of 45 minutes, we’ll be travelling between Divača and Koper in 17 minutes at a speed of 160km/h.

fordable transport of products to the end user. If we look at just the infrastructure and transport, I can say that Slovenia is among the most successful countries, because we have successful production and transport companies that, without proper logistics management, wouldn’t have achieved that in the local, European and wider global market. However, we must be aware that logistics doesn’t only depend on human resources and process planning, but also directly on infrastructure, keeping transport infrastructure and transport logistics in mind. Of course, the processes are adapted to the existing infrastructure that, unfortunately, also represents a certain limitation. When I’m asked where Slovenia is on the logistics map of Europe, I can say that it’s very important due to our central location at the crossroads of important transport corridors and that its geographical location should be used to the fullest extent.

Renovation of the Kočevje railway

After half a century,

Logistics

the train ride between

Ljubljana and Kočevje is back What many have predicted over the years or even decades, and the inhabitants of towns and villages by the railway eagerly awaited, has become a reality: from 3 January 2021, the European Year of Rail, rail passenger services between Ljubljana and Kočevje have been reestablished. Freight traffic had already been relaunched in April 2019.

During the week, seven pairs of passenger trains run on the railway line between Ljubljana and Kočevje, including new modern trains by the Swiss manufacturer Stadler. The journey takes 70 minutes.

he construction of the rail- half of the 1980s with the oil crisis arousing inway line that decades ago terest in rail passenger services, the project of accelerated the export of reconstruction and modernisation of the line brown coal, wood and wood was never realised. products from the Kočevje- The beginning of the renovation of the Kočevje Ribnica valley, and the local railway, forgotten by some and necessary for economic development be- others, with an almost 49-kilometre distance gan in 1892 in Velike Lašče. between Grosuplje and Kočevje, dates back to 2008. The first 26 kilometres The inauguration was held on of the line on the Grosuplje– 27 September 1893. AccordThe project for the Ortnek section had been rening to official figures, about ovated by 2011. In 2013, the 170,000 tonnes of coal and renovation of the 9-kilometre section Ortnek– just over 130,000 tonnes of Kočevje railway line Ribnica was upgraded. The timber were transported on cost around entire project for the renovathe railway track in its best tion of the Kočevje railway years. line cost around EUR 100M. The last regular passenger M. EUR During the week, seven pairs train arrived in Kočevje on of passenger trains run on 18 April 1968, later it only went up to Velike Lašče. In 1971, rail passenger this route, including new modern trains by the services on the Kočevje line were permanently Swiss manufacturer Stadler. Trains cover the terminated. Although it is true that there have distance between Ljubljana and Kočevje in 1 been several attempts to revive the Kočevje hour and 10 minutes. See you in Kočevje! line, one of the last ones attempted in the first

100

Port of Koper

Logisticians Say

Port and Rail Link is Crucial At the Slovenian window to the world, the Port of Koper, business has been good this year, as the growth trend that was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic now resumes. In the first quarter of this year, Luka Koper Group achieved EUR 57.5M in net sales revenues, which is EUR 2.3M more than in the same period last year.

ue to the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis, when many traffic and logistics routes were temporarily interrupted, the company ended last year's business year with almost EUR 210M in net sales revenues. Last year, in 2019, the Port of Koper generated almost EUR 229M in net sales revenues, which is eight percent more than last year. In 2020, the net operating profit

(EBIT) was EUR 33.5M, which is about EUR 11.5M less than in 2019. The Port of Koper is aware of all the challenges posed by the growing globalisation of operations. “The pandemic has severely affected the world's economy and immensely shaken global trade flows, which was also strongly reflected in the company's operations,” Koper port officials point out.

Benefits of the Second Track to the Port of Koper The Port of Koper welcomes the fact that, after all the years of complications in the past, work has finally begun on the second track between Koper and Divača. The single-track line is outdated and insufficiently permeable to meet all the needs of the time and the amount of transshipment in the port. If the current line reached its maximum ca-

Logistics

Koper is aware of all the challenges posed by the growing globalisation of operations. “The pandemic has severely affected the world’s economy and immensely shaken global trade flows, which was also strongly reflected in the company’s operations.

pacity, cargo would start to accumulate in the port. As a result, major customers providing large quantities, especially in the field of containers, would divert cargo to other northern Adriatic ports. “The Port of Koper would thus lose its competitive advantage and the transshipment would be reduced in the long run,” Koper port officials warn. When logisticians choose ports, the key decision-making factor is the railway

connection with the hinterland or how to bring large quantities of cargo to the end customer as quickly and cheaply as possible. Inter-Port Competition Now Moves to Rails The strategic business plan of the Port of Koper for the period 2020–2025, adopted by the company in 2019, envisages expansion in both strategic product groups and digitisation

Two new elevators for the container terminal are among the important investments in 2021. In June of the same year the Port extended the shoreline by 100m and created a new berth for cargo ships.

of key processes, especially in connecting the entire logistics chain and increasing the flow of the Port of Koper. By 2030, a modern container terminal with a capacity of more than 2M container units will have grown in the Port of Koper. This year, the Port of Koper plans to invest around EUR 75M. The new garage house for transshipment and storage of cars, which was opened in May this year, is certainly one of the most important investment acquisitions in the Port of Koper. With a capacity of about six thousand vehicles, so far they have been able to store 45 thousand vehicles at a time, it is possible to increase the annual transshipment by about 162,000 cars. In 2020, due to the aggravated conditions associated with the corona crisis, car transshipment fell to 1 million cars, up from 1.1 million a year earlier. The new modern garage of the Port of Koper enables further development in the field of car transshipment. With the new garage house, the Port of Koper is consolidating its leading position among ports in the Mediterranean and at the same time becoming the fifth most

important car terminal in Europe for car parking or storage. The Port of Koper is aware of the importance of investing in a garage house, which is not least a great acquisition for business partners who expected a garage house. The Port of Koper can now expect more cars from China, increasingly penetrating the demanding car market in Europe. The value of the garage

This year, the Port of Koper plans to invest around EUR

house, together with the purchase of the necessary equipment, is just under EUR 18.9M. Together with the EUR 4.4M investment in the new cargo entrance to the port, the Port of Koper increased traffic safety and at the same time relieved Koper's city entrances. Port of Koper Largest Container Terminal of Adriatic Sea Two new elevators for the container terminal are among the

important investments in 2021. In June of the same year the Port extended the shoreline by 100m and created a new berth for cargo ships. The investment is part of a large, EUR 45.6m worth of construction of almost 25,000m² of container storage space. As construction takes place at sea, the entire facility is supported by steel piles. There will be a total of 770 of them, with an average length of 65 metres. The new storage areas for containers are expected to be completed in the first quarter of next year, with which the Port of Koper will reach an annual terminal capacity of 1.5M TEU containers. In the Port of Koper, container transshipment activity began to develop in 1979, when the first 150 metres of shoreline were built. Since then, the socalled “container” coast has been extended four times to the current 700 metres. In four decades, nearly 12M TEU containers were transshipped at the first pier, two-thirds of them in the last ten years. In terms of the number of transshipped containers, the Port of Koper has the largest container terminal in the Adriatic.

Logistics

Interview with the General Manager of 2TDK

“The second railway track

between Koper and Divača

will open in 2026.”

Pavle Hevka firmly believes this. He is the General Manager of the stateowned company 2TDK and is in charge of the project of building a second track between Divača and Koper. he second track is slowly becoming a reality. Is it possible to make up for the delay, or is it too late? I’ve been told by journalists that Tito, the former president of the former state, signed an agreement as early as 1967 to build the second track as soon as possible. This year, 54 years have passed since then, and I can say that the second track will be built on time, with quality and, of course, for the estimated price. We may be late, but the timeline was set even before I took over as the General Manager of 2TDK. We’ve been late with the submission of works, but now all the contracts have finally been signed, the deadlines are binding, the penalties for the contractors are very severe and if they’re late, there will be sanctions. The excavation of the tunnels started in August this year, and according to the references of the contractors (Yapi Merkezi and Özaltin from Turkey), there is no reason why we will not build the second track on time and, of course, hand it over in time, i.e. in 2026. What will the second track bring to the Slovenian economy? Prosperity for sure, not only for Slovenia, but also for the hinterland countries and virtually all

The second track will also bring a boom for passenger transport and tourism, as tourist trains will become more and more interesting, and tourists will decide to visit the Coast and the Karst in greater numbers; there’ll also be better railway connections between Ljubljana and Koper.” Pavle Hevka, General Manager of 2TDK

Logistics

Interview with the General Manager of 2TDK On 5 May 2021, the construction of the second track of the Divača–Koper railway line on the Črni Kal–Koper section officially began. On the photo from left to right: Aslan Uzun, CEO of Yapi Merkezi, Başar Arıoğlu, Chairman of the Management Board of Yapı Merkezi, Jernej Vrtovec, Minister of Infrastructure, Pavle Hevka, General Manager of 2TDK, Kristjan Mugerli, Director of Kolektor CPG, and Ahmet Düren, General Coordinator for Business Development at Özaltın.

of Europe. We know from history that when a road was built in an area and a settlement, village or town was built next to it, it always and consistently brought progress, development, new jobs, better quality and, above all, a simpler life. Some have pointed out that the second track will not only bring new challenges and opportunities, but also greater competitiveness on the Slovenian tracks and for the Port of Koper. What are the priorities to begin preparations for? I believe that the leaders in the Port of Koper will take timely action, expand and extend the piers and thus enable greater cargo throughput, as the most important reason for the construction of the second track is the existence and increasingly successful long-term operation of the Port of Koper. Experts point out that the competitive struggle for cargo between ports is already taking place, especially in the northern Adriatic and on the rails. That’s true, of course, but the second track will also bring a boom to passenger transport and

tourism. Tourist trains will be ever more interesting and tourists will decide to visit the Coast and the Karst in greater numbers with the better railway connection between Ljubljana and Koper. We’ve seen such experiences abroad, too. For example, if a train is available from the city centre to the airport, the tourists will take it, so the second track is not only important for freight and logistics routes, but also for passenger transport. We expect passenger rail transport to be reinvigorated. Not to mention business trips and meetings, which are mostly held in Ljubljana. To arrive from Koper on time for a meeting at 9am, when most meetings start, is an impossible feat if you take a train. This is one of the main reasons why many employees who live in the coastal area and work in Ljubljana drive to work in their personal vehicles. I hope that scheduling trains will make the operators think about these people and make it possible for them to travel quickly and comfortably from the Coast to Ljubljana. This will also significantly reduce traffic on the Primorska motorway and, of course, the number of traffic accidents.

Logistics

The former president of the former state signed an agreement as early as 1967 to build the second track as soon as possible. This year, 54 years have passed since then, and I can say that the second track will be built on time, with quality and, of course, for the estimated price.” Pavle Hevka, General Manager of 2TDK The timetable predicts that a second track will have been built by 2026 first. What’s next? The second track will be built earlier; the main construction work will take 40 months from commissioning. The contractor was put into operation on the first section of the second track in March this year, the second section in May, and the works will be carried out on time. This is followed by the installation of track systems and electrical equipment, and applying for authorisation, which is a complex process, as we also need to obtain some European permits, train some rescue units and equip them, perform protection and rescue exercises and so on. In May 2026, all this will have been completed and the second track opened to transport. I stand firmly behind it! The second track will cost just under a billion euros. Just under a billion euros is a reality. As you know, we’ve reduced the investment program by a little less than EUR 200M and in the signed contracts, there are about EUR 100M in reserves for unforeseen works, which may need to be carried out due to karst phenomena or something

else, and for that price, the second track must be built to completion. What about the new full two-track route between Koper and Divača? What does the “new” full two-track route between Koper and Divača mean financially? The ball is in the court of the powers that be. I know that a change in the legal content is being prepared, which will stipulate that the company 2TDK will also take care of the establishment of a full doubletrack line on the mentioned route of the railway line. According to a simple calculation, we’ll already have provided 60 percent of the necessary work for this additional track by this stage of the construction of the second track. All parallel service tunnels are planned to be expanded by one more track, and the value of the rail devices and electrical equipment is estimated at an additional EUR 150 million, which means only EUR 150 million for the full double track of the new line between Koper and Divača. A rough, really crude estimate of these works is about 350 million euros. These funds can be found in the country or loans can be used to ensure a new full double track on the Koper–Divača route.

Interview with the Director of Fersped

Synergies in the group are crucial for the future growth

of Fersped and Slovenske železnice

Our goal is to strengthen the cooperation within the Slovenske železnice Group, as well as with external partners, including the ports of Rijeka and Trieste, consolidating Fersped as one of the leading logistics companies in the region, announced Dean Peršić, Director of Fersped.

ou‘ve taken over the management of Fersped this year. What goals have you set as priorities? Fersped is a well-established company with a relatively well-established system, which, due to market requirements, needs constant adaptation and development. Currently, the greatest challenges are related to the pandemic, and the company’s main goal is to grow and develop into one of the leading logistics companies in the region. Fersped is a business-stable company, but it needs to focus on the right goals. Have you already set these goals? Yes, we have. We want to expand into foreign markets, and by exploiting the synergy effects of the

companies in the group, we want to further expand the range of services. We have more possibilities and opportunities to expand our offer every year. What changes has the Covid-19 pandemic brought to logistics over the past year and a half, and how has it affected the role of logistics and logistics companies in the global economic world? The pandemic has reminded us that we must always be prepared to adapt to market conditions. We can’t slide backwards! During the pandemic, we have focused primarily on reducing the risks of employee infections and maintaining business. We’ve managed to do it, although there was lots of uncertainty and unknowns at the beginning. We’re an industry that’s strongly involved in global inte-

Logistics How do you feel about the new situation at Fersped? What were your business results last year? Given that we’ve received the Golden Certificate of Excellence for 2020, the results and operations were more than satisfactory. The company ended the year with EUR 1.024 million in operating profit. We also retained all employees and major business partners. The employees proved to be extremely flexible, professional and loyal, while the owners provided the company with all the necessary support systems. Also this year, the results have been very encouraging. We’ve achieved 30% revenue growth. We want to continue this year and achieve the set plans.

Both logisticians and shipowners have specific know-how, infrastructure and experience that will radically change the field of logistics in the long run and improve the offer for customers, predicts Dean Peršić, Director of Fersped.

gration, which is why we’ve been uncertain about that. We logisticians have been forced to start thinking more broadly about connecting and simplifying business. What are the biggest bottlenecks in logistics and how does this affect the Slovenian economy? Currently, the biggest issues, which one might also describe as a bottleneck, are dependence on available sources of transport and lack of containers. We welcome the modernization of the railway infrastructure and the construction of the second track, which will mean significant progress and development for the Slovenian economy and the country.

What do you attribute such high growth to? There was a lot of ambiguity about business last year, and We want import partners were cautious. to expand This year, however, the situation has changed. Customers want into foreign to create stocks that will allow markets, them to maintain business even and by exploiting the in the event of additional closures. There is a huge demand, synergy effects of but customers have also become the companies in the more demanding and want qualgroup, we want to ity services for their money, and that’s something we at Fersped further expand the can definitely provide. range of services.” Container shipping prices have risen by up to fivefold Dean Peršić, this year. Why did this haof Fersped ppen, and what’s the situation with other modes of transport? We have a similar increase in prices for air transport. If air transport prices rose due to their being affected as a result of the pandemic measures, a jump in shipping prices had been expected for some time. Like other actors in logistics, shipowners want to expand and develop and provide services independently. We welcome this as healthy competition, but at the same time we want to work together. I believe that both logisticians and shipowners have specific know-how, infrastructure and experience that will radically change the field of logistics in the long run and improve services for customers.

Director

Will transport prices continue to rise? What’s your forecast for the end of the year? Prices are already so high that they’ll hardly get even higher. However, providers will try to keep the high prices going at least this year. Of course, as long as there’s enough demand, prices might keep rising.

Interview with the Director of Fersped You’re part of the Slovenske železnice Group – what are the mutual synergy effects and how do you use them? For us, being part of the Slovenske železnice Group is of key importance. By being included, we’ve been able to gain a strong momentum, trusted owners who work for the good of the company, and synergies with other companies in the group. These synergies are the basis for long-term business, which envisages the growth and expansion of the company. Being connected with SŽ-Tovorni promet and the logistics staff at VV-LOG has enabled Fersped to optimize processes, reduce costs and share knowledge and experience. The recapitalization of SŽ-Tovorni promet will be carried out by the Czech EP Holding. How will that affect you? Besides SŽ-Tovorni promet, the recapitalization also includes our The pandemic has company. We see only positive forced logisticians to effects and the realization of long-term goals that will expand start thinking more the company and establish a about connecting and so-called logistics holding comsimplifying business. pany. This will further increase our competitiveness. We believe that the policy of new business partners will be focused on long-term business success. Fersped will expand its business to Croatia and Italy. What opportunities do you see in the ports of Rijeka and Trieste? During the epidemic, all companies have been faced with the fact that they have to expand their business and thus ensure optimal business even in difficult times. Just as the landscapes around us are evolving, so must we. What used to be good ten years ago is not sufficient anymore. Rijeka and Trieste are so close to the Port

of Koper that expansion would demand only minimal adjustments and inputs, but there’ll be lots of positive effects. You’d like more connectivity between all participants in the logistics chain. What kind of connection do you have in mind, and what would you gain from it? What I see is networking in the light of the digitalisation of all actors involved and networking at the level of the healthy participation of all involved. We want to offer customers a full service from EU entry points to their destinations. Of course, we also want to work with shipping companies, as our know-how, experience and flexibility make it much easier for them and shorten transit times through EU entry points. Not only is it important that all the partners involved carry out their work for transport from point A to point B, but that’s also the reason why cooperation between them is important as well. Where else do you see opportunities for the further growth and expansion of Fersped? Where do you see this company in, say, two or three years? Fersped has many short-term and long-term goals that have been successfully achieved. In 2017, with the acquisition of VV-LOG, it expanded its group and its business to become more competitive. My vision is to make a strong group, which we will achieve by further joining quality companies in the wider environment, which includes the Port of Rijeka and the Port of Trieste. This year, we’ve also increased the capacity of storage facilities at the Port of Koper, where we now have 10,500 square metres of space. In all of this, we’ve got lots of potential to expand our business.

Interview: Igor Jakomin

Logistics

The beginning of a new revival of the modern railway infrastructure in Slovenia

If Slovenia intends to take logistics seriously as a strategic industry, all stakeholders must understand that we need to make up for the lack of investment in the railway network over the past decades, says Igor Jakomin, PhD, logistics expert and lecturer at the Faculty of Logistics, based in Celje. “The second track between Koper and Divača should only be the beginning of a revival of new, modern and developed railway infrastructure in Slovenia,” says Igor Jakomin.

hat are the current trends in global logistics? Post-Corona measures, green mobility, digitization and the robotization of warehouses, logistics are trying to optimize the supply routes. The coronavirus crisis has disrupted many established transport and logistics routes. Globally, after the outbreak of the pandemic, the economy fell into a very serious crisis. Certainly, some logistical routes have been interrupted, others have emerged anew… It’s like water, you can stop it in one place, but it always finds its way. The same goes for

Interview: Igor Jakomin logistics, too. In fact, at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, there were major supply problems and later congestion in the infrastructure hubs. In Asia, especially in China, factories were closed at the beginning of the epidemic, and there was no delivery to Europe or other countries around the world; supply chains were disrupted. When production resumed in Asia, in China, issues accumulated on other continents, as the crisis had severely paralyzed them as well. There were months of congestion in intermodal nodes (ports, airports), they’re bottlenecks in the supply chain if the removal of goods from and into them is not synchronized, stable and, above all, fast. That was a major disruption to the supply of the global The competition economy. Slowly, everything is normalizing again, getting back is definitely to normal…

healthy. If there are dozens of freight carriers on the tracks, this is proof that there’s enough work for everyone and that they’ll stay on the market.”

What are the current trends in global logistics? The current global trends are focused on companies simply breaking or reducing supply chains with distant countries on the other side of the world with cheap labour in exchange for risk reduction, greater security (reliability) and consistency in their supply chain, thereby moving their supply chain closer Igor Jakomin, PhD, to themselves. We live in a time of uncertainty when nobody logistics expert knows what will happen in the near future. Nobody can predict whether there’ll be another lockdown. Countries are behaving very differently and preparing for the coming months, preparing different scenarios. Here’s an example of why there’s uncertainty today: in Malaysia and Vietnam, there was a total lockdown a few weeks ago, ports and airports were closed, but over here we’re walking around without masks as if nothing’s happening. This trend of instability and uncertainty will continue for some time to come, and as long as it continues, the risk to supply routes or chains will be very high. It should be noted that quite a few Slovenian companies are already moving their supply network from the Far East to the countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. They’re looking for different ways to set up their new supply chains and supply networks to be closer to the company itself, with less risk. Are we still logistically vulnerable due to the coronavirus crisis? We’re still very vulnerable. It would be too soon to claim that we’ve completely returned to “normal”, if you will… We’re still a long way from

what we had before the coronavirus crisis. Unfortunately, that’s the reality. Everyone, even in the world of logistics, has been using the term “the new normal” in these new times. Things will never fully return to what we once knew. What about Slovenia? In my opinion, Slovenia is slowly, but relatively steadily, returning to some approximation of the period before the crisis: major changes or declines in the logistics industry are no longer being recorded, and part of the reason is that we have the most ideal position in Europe in terms of providing logistics services and logistics flows. Lost logistics flows due to the virus are slowly returning to Slovenia. Whether or not this will be long-term is thankless to predict. Where is Slovenia, in terms of logistics, on the European and global map? As far as logistics is concerned, everyone working in logistics or depending on its services is very well aware of the importance of Slovenia. Our hinterland countries are also very well aware of this, i.e. those that don’t have access to the sea. Moreover, that’s also reflected in the business results of the Port of Koper, Slovenske železnice, and all other stakeholders in the chain. However, on the European scale, we’re rather inconvenient to some of the major players. Most of all to the northern European ports, more so every day, and that’s when our results are improving, when transshipment is growing, when they’re reviewing our results and finding out that our growth is better than theirs. Every day we’re becoming more competitive and visible on the map of logistics. Can we become a real competitor? Not yet. A lot of work is being done on this, but we have not yet become the optimal competition. There’s still room for improvement. What does the second track mean for Slovenian logistics? The current track from Koper to Divača is certainly a bottleneck in the development for all logistics flows coming to Slovenia and going to Central Europe and beyond and vice versa… The existing track has very limited capacity for all railway operators and, of course, for the Port of Koper. So, all those who are working hard on this section should be congratulated on what they can create today despite all the restrictions in the railway infrastructure. Every year, they prove that more can be done than is actually possible. Sooner or later, however, there will come a limit beyond which we cannot pass. And the second track is basically the solution to everything that, unfortunately, hasn’t been done in decades. What will the second track bring? In

Logistics the first phase, greater possibilities for transporting cargo to and from the port, greater capacity, faster operations... But this is not where the story of the second track should end! This should only be the beginning of a revival of new, modern and developed railway infrastructure in Slovenia. If Slovenia intends to take logistics seriously as a strategic industry, all stakeholders must understand that we simply need to make up for the lack of investment in the railway network over the past decades. There is a need for a broader consensus in Slovenia that the core railway network urgently needs to be modernized. A broader consensus is strongly needed, as we still have many external and internal “enemies” who are constantly hindering the construction or modernization of our network. This proves that Slovenia is or can become very, very competitive in the world of logistics. What does that mean? The construction, modernization and electrification of all major axes, as well as side axes, which are strategically important for the development of logistics services. If we want to seriously develop the logistics industry and, ultimately, the mobility of the population, we need to support the railway axes, which must have two tracks built to the highest European standards and be fully electrified. That’s the only way we can ensure the right speeds to be competitive on a European scale for both freight and, of course, passenger transport. In May 2026, the highly anticipated second track between Koper and Divača, more competition on the tracks, more transshipment in the Port of Koper, more cooperation with global logistics? The competition is definitely healthy. If there are dozens of freight carriers on the tracks, this is proof that there’s enough work for everyone and that they’ll stay on the market. This means that they’ll be transporting much more cargo to and from Slovenia than they are now. That’ll be good for everyone. No worries, everyone will not be struggling for the same source of cargo because there’s not just one – every commodity flow has its origin elsewhere. We need to know that the supply of countries without a coastline is still taking place mainly through the northern European ports (Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp…) and not through the north-

ern Adriatic ports. So there’s more than enough room for growth, but only if we have competitive conditions. But once again I should emphasise that the competition is healthy. This will make us even better and we’ll be offering better services. Should the northern Adriatic ports cooperate more in the light of greater competition with the northern European ports and, for example, the growing Mediterranean Port of Piraeus? We need to be aware that on the European map, or from the point of view of Brussels, all the northern Adriatic ports look like a single (southern) point of entry into Europe. From a global perspective, this is only further potentiated. From that point of view, all the stakeholders in the northern Adriatic ports should realize that we’re all small and that it would be worth considering partial specialization, taking advantage of what individuals are best and most competitive at. This is a very difficult development step, and there could undoubtedly be initial joint reflection on how to achieve that so that all parties are satisfied. There’s more than enough work for everyone, and in terms of space for expansion and development, we don’t have as many opportunities as each of the previously listed northern competitors does. We should learn to coexist. If we look at Trieste and Koper, we can see that both ports are complementary in many segments – they’re not competitors. Koper has cars, Trieste has a ferry for trucks, Koper has derivatives, Trieste has crude oil... It’s clear that, for example, they’re competitors as far as general cargo or containers are concerned. If we could find a common language, then we’d also be able to find common advantages, and we could take advantage of them in the fight against our northern European competitors.

»Quite a few Slovenian companies are already moving their supply network from the Far East to the countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. They’re looking for different ways to set up their new supply chains and supply networks to be closer to the company itself, with less risk,” says Igor Jakomin on developments in logistics in the post-Covid era.

High-speed railways

How Realistic

Are High-Speed Railways in Slovenia? Here is a dilemma that has been discussed by the professional public for years: Everyone wants to ride high-speed trains, but is Slovenia, with its small size, location and geography, suitable for high-speed lines and train speeds of over 200 or even 300 kph?

Logistics t least for now, although more and more funds have been allocated for railways and railway infrastructure in recent years – a record EUR 509M this year – highspeed railways are a mere idea, a dream...

In the case of the highspeed line project, the only reality is likely to be the placement of sections of a transport corridor in Slovenia; for example, part of the route of the Venice–Ljubljana–Vienna line,” the Director General of Slovenske železnice Dušan Mes points out. He is convinced that this is the only opportunity for Slovenia to get a high-speed line, as the connection between Venice and Vienna with a high-speed line through Slovenia would also be interesting from a European perspective, economically sensible and a justified investment. Slovenia must aim primarily at a modern railway infrastructure, similar to the Austrian one, and a relatively fast railway connection on the Maribor–Ljubljana–Koper route. Dušan Mes, Director General of Slovenske železnice

Despite the above facts, Italy and Slovenia started talks in 2006 about the Trieste–Divača expressway. In 2013, the European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG) was established with its headquarters in Trieste, which is in charge of the project, founded by the Slovenian state-owned investment firm – DRI and RFI – Italian State Railways. The EEIG is supposed to take care of all the necessary studies and analyses for the new line, as well as the placement of the route in space. In 2014, about a year after the establishment of the EEIG, both sides decided that the volume of railway traffic between Trieste and Divača, according to optimistic forecasts, was not expected to economically justify the construction of a high-speed line before 2050. The project is thus “put on hold” and awaits better times. Nevertheless, the interest group, which is now based in Opčine, is considering applying for European funds to finance appropriate studies on the justification and profitability of a high-speed line between Trieste and Ljubljana. Italy is now in a hurry to modernize and upgrade the Ponteba railway, which will connect Trieste and Tarvisio with the Austrian railway corridor below Golica (the Koralpe) to Villach and Graz. This year, actively modernizing its railway infrastructure, Slovenia has started work on the second track project between Koper and Divača, which is worth one billion euros, and is also very actively modernizing many other railway sections in the European Year of Rail – 2021.

Slovenia doesn’t need a fast route,” says Pavle Hevka, General Manager of 2TDK, which is building the second track between Koper and Divača. “The geography of the terrain in our country is not conducive to fast programs,” the General Manager of 2TDK points out. Pavle Hevka, General Manager of 2TDK 41

Interview: Tomaž Kokot, MA, interim general manager of Pošta Slovenije

Pošta Slovenije

is a modern,

environmentally and user-friendly company

Tomaž Kokot, MA, interim general manager of Pošta Slovenije – “we’re one of the largest and most important logistics companies in Slovenia that, during the last year, has made a big step towards the modernisation of services that will be even more user-friendly.” ou are among the largest and most important logistics companies in Slovenia, with many partners in Slovenia and abroad… The coronavirus crisis has interrupted many logistics routes, the global economy has fallen into a very serious crisis. How have you dealt with that at Pošta Slovenije? Like any crisis, this one proved to be an opportunity for the Pošta Slovenije Group. The biggest challenge was how to handle the large amount of incoming shipments/packages, process them and, of course, finally deliver them to the end customers/customers. That’s what has led to changes and adjustments to many work processes and comprehensive optimisation. That’s why I’m saying that the coronavirus crisis has also opened up opportunities. A number of measures had to be taken overnight, which proved to be very effective and would otherwise have taken several years. During the coronavirus crisis and the lockdown, the volume of parcels has obviously increased significantly. During the epidemic, the volume of parcels has increased by more than 40% compared to the previous year due to trade restrictions and a sharp migration to online platforms, and in November 2020 the volume of parcels doubled during the busiest days. That was a real challenge. There haven’t been that many problems in individual parts of Slovenia. The biggest traffic jam was, of course, in Ljubljana, as it’s also the most densely populated area, and that’s where users mostly used the option of ordering products online. People instantly got used to being able to shop online and get a shipment ordered to their homes. The Pošta Slovenije is already preparing for a possible fourth wave of the coronavirus crisis and is tak42

ing additional measures that would contribute to even greater operational efficiency. In addition to the planned additional employment, we’ve included a larger number of students in the transport process to help with the work process, and we’ve hired contractors to deliver packages. At the same time, we’re expanding the network of access points, and customers can use many alternative forms of delivery or acceptance of delivery – automated parcel machines, parcel delivery boxes, and delivery options to the agreed location, as well as alternative contact points (such as Petrol and Mol service stations) and automated sending and receiving units for PS 24/7 shipments. We’ve even decided to carry out the most urgent tasks in servicing our delivery vehicles at our locations of business units in Slovenia. There are four of them, i.e. in Maribor, Celje, Ljubljana and Koper, so that we won’t have to drive the vehicle elsewhere. We’re also working hard on the integration of Intereuropa into the Pošta Slovenije Group. The goal, of course, is the consolidation of key business processes and the achievement of synergy effects, and consequently the growth and development and profitability of the entire group. How many major partners do you have in Slovenia and, of course, in Europe? Pošta Slovenije owns 80.89% of Intereuropa. In addition to the parent company, the Intereuropa Group consists of twelve affiliated companies in nine countries, in which it has its own companies and provides the widest possible range of comprehensive logistics solutions. We also perform delivery for American UPS. In Slovenia, we have subcontractors for delivery according to the volume of shipments that arrive or are currently being processed. In global logistics, the green dimension, digitalisation, robotisation of warehouses, optimisation of work processes and increasingly user-friendly services are becoming a reali-

Logistics

– they accept

THOUSAND packages per day, in a pandemic year even up to

150

thousand per day – investments in two logistics centres; Maribor and Ljubljana – delivery of shipments using delivery drones – investments in solar power plants

“Within 10 years, I see Pošta Slovenije very close to managing the so-called use space. It’s an area 100 metres above us, above Slovenia, where we will deliver packages to business customers and individual customers using drones,” says Tomaž Kokot, interim general manager of Pošta Slovenije. 43

Interview: Tomaž Kokot, MA, interim general manager of Pošta Slovenije ty. In your industry, that means even faster and friendlier deliveries to the end customer. What are you dealing with these novelties? At Pošta Slovenije, we strive for constant updating, which is also reflected in the digitalisation of postal operations in all phases of postal traffic, i.e. both receiving postal items and delivering postal items. We were the first to start trial flights of shipments/ packages by drone. We found that we could deliver the package to the end customer using delivery drones. In the second experiment, we found that a drone with a package could fly out of sight in the summer, take blood samples and bring them to the Topolščica hospital. With the third project, we intend to People establish a closed air corridor at instantly a height of 150 metres between Pošta Ljubljana – Vič and Pošta got used to Borovnica. We have to fly 500 being able to drones here, every two hours shop online and get a the drone will fly between the two post offices, without an ershipment ordered to ror, so when we collect data their homes. ” about it, we’ll ask for permission so that our drone can fly out of Tomaž Kokot, MA, sight and really deliver the shipment to the end user. Our users interim general will be remote farms and, for exmanager of Pošta ample, mountain lodges. Slovenije By 2025, Pošta Slovenije is also committed to 50% electrification of its rolling stock. The Faculty of Computer and Electrical Engineering in Maribor is already preparing calculations for the possibility of installing solar power plants at all our post offices in Slovenia, where this will of course be possible and of course how many charging stations for electric vehicles can be installed next to them. Once we know that, we’ll decide where to install the solar power plant and where to transmit electricity to the grid, or to supply “our” electricity to several other buildings in the self-sufficient local community.

When is that idea expected to come to life? In the autumn, we’re going to start preparing a financial plan for the investment. Our plan is to make the filling stations next to the post offices available to citizens in the morning, and to fill our vans, motorcycles and quads in the afternoon. Where do you see Pošta Slovenije on the map of logistics Slovenia and, obviously, Europe? Slovenia’s geostrategic position is an important advantage for the Pošta Slovenije Group, especially for our subsidiary Intereuropa that has a good market position in the region. The location brings opportunities that may arise from the increased market role of the northern Adriatic ports and the development of a further logistics network in the Balkans and South-Eastern Europe. We’ll definitely do our best to increase our market share in package delivery with various measures that bring our delivery closer to users in a friendly way. In Croatia, we’re starting a project with our subsidiary to deliver packages to business users, and later we’re going to apply for a permit to deliver shipments/packages to users. We’re having similar thoughts about Serbia… So, when? In Croatia, probably within two years, and in Serbia we could deliver shipments to customers/users within five years. Where do you see Pošta Slovenije in 10 years in the world of logistics? At Pošta Slovenije, we have even more ambitiously charted our path towards transformation into a modern postal and logistics company. Within 10 years, I see Pošta Slovenije very close to managing the so-called use space. It’s an area 100 metres above us, above Slovenia, where we will deliver packages to business customers and individual customers using drones. We want to get a concession to manage said airspace belt. The second track between Koper and Divača is slowly becoming a reality. What will that mean for Pošta Slovenije? For us, it means a very important increase in our capacity, greater flow of goods, shipments. Pošta Slovenije must urgently start investing intensively in increasing the processing capacity of shipments. The future is in the home delivery of everything, food, textiles, and household products. So, while we’re planning large logistics centres in Ljubljana and Maribor today, one covering the west and the other the east of the country, we need to plan at least 30 per cent more space, which we will definitely fill in the future. Everything is still too fragmented. That’ll achieve shorter shipment processing times and, of course, lower costs.

Passenger trains

Logistics

Comprehensive

modernization of passenger transport by Slovenske železnice

he Slovenske železnice Group is aware of the importance of environmental management, which is why we strive to respect the highest environmental sustainability standards in environmental protection. Concern for the preservation of the environment is also part of the Group's code of ethics and represents an important part of corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. The purchase of modern passenger trains is also part of the company's sustainable development. New trains The first five new diesel trains from the Swiss manufacturer Stadler (DMG – SŽ 610/615) ran

Rail transport is the most sustainable and environmentally friendly mode of transport. The European Union has defined 2021 as the “European Year of Rail” and, as part of this, actively promotes the use of railways as the safest and most environmentally sustainable mode of transport. Transport emissions account for 25% of all greenhouse gases in the Union, with rail transport accounting for only 0.5% of this figure. 45

Passenger trains

RAIL – a sustainable – form of transport

Rail is a key contribution to climate neutrality set as EU’s goal by 2050

Greenhouse gas emissions by mode of transport: EU27 (2018)

Rail transport Water transport Air

Railways have contributed only 0.4% of emissions

transport Road transport Other

in the middle of December 2020 between Kamnik and Ljubljana. The new diesel trains now run on the Kamnik, Kočevje and Dolenjska lines. From 5 July this year, the new Flirt electric single-floor multi-system trains will also run on the tracks. By the end of this year, 24 new electric trains will arrive in Slovenia, 10 of which will be double-decker sets. Every day, as many as 529 passenger trains run on the railway network in Slovenia. By the end of 2022, in accordance with the contract for the supply of new trains, Slovenske železnice expects all 52 orde-

EU27 (2018)

By the end of 2022, in accordance with the contract for the supply of new trains, Slovenske železnice expects all

13,4 % Maritime transport

72 % Road transport

ordered new trains to be running on Slovenian tracks.

0,5 % Rail transport

13,9 % Civil aviation

Railways consume 1.9 % of energy consumed by transport in Europe

red new trains to be running on Slovenian tracks – 21 of those will be single-decker, 10 will be double-decker electric and 21 will single-decker diesel trains built at the Stadler plant in Poland. The total value of the ordered trains is 320 million euros without VAT. With this project, the first step towards the comprehensive modernization of passenger transport has been taken, which is one of the most important strategic goals of Slovenske železnice. Slovenske železnice is planning a complete renovation of the railway passenger fleet by 2025.

0,5 % Other

Greenhouse gas emissions from transport (EU-28, 2017) Source: European Commission, Statistical Manual 2019

Logistics Rail is the safest transport In recent years, the railway has played an increasingly important role in green, sustainable tourism. Cycling tourism is also becoming more and more popular, when cyclists use combined transport to explore cycling routes – trains and bikes. Thanks to the low number of accidents, it is also the safest mode of land transport: the tracks claim only 0.1 fatalities per billion passengers per kilometre. Bus accidents account for 0.23, cars 2.7 and motorcycles 38 (data for 2011–2015) victims per billion passengers per kilometre. What the new trains will look like The new Stadler trains are more comfortable and faster, which significantly contributes to the satisfaction of our passengers and users. The train is more spacious, all doors have extendible steps for easier entry, there are spaces for people with reduced mobility and special toilets for them, at least 10 places for bicycles and sockets for charging various mobile devices. All new trains provide a modern information system, have power outlets for charging phones, laptops and other devices, and automatic air conditioning. All new trains are also equipped with a Wi-Fi signal that allows access to the Internet or

All new trains provide a modern information system, have power outlets for charging phones, laptops and other devices, and automatic air conditioning. All new trains are also equipped with a Wi-Fi signal that allows access to the Internet or various Internet content. various Internet content. The new trains (sets) will reduce travel time by up to 10 percent (the new electric trains have faster acceleration and travel at speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour, while diesel trains reach 140km/h). With the new trains, we’ll increase the frequency of regional connections with fewer stops and local trains with a higher capacity in the coming years, and we’ll also provide passengers with greater comfort and reliability of transport. The new diesel and electric trains will also enable Slovenske železnice to provide cross-border regional connections to Austria and Croatia, comfortably and quickly, without unnecessary changes, which will further contribute to passenger satisfaction and the popularity of rail transport as the most environmentally friendly mode of transport.

News from the world of logistics and transport

Economic Nationalism Challenges Global Supply Chain China Post and Lufthansa Cargo have announced a strategic co-operation. A survey by the global LLamasoft group has found that about half of large manufacturers are considering alternative suppliers, and are also concerned about rising operating costs due to taxes and other levies. The survey has found that the maritime industry is concerned about the impact of trade protectionism and cyber threats. Disruptions in the global supply chain (also due to covid-19) continue to grow, and companies are increasingly concerned about possible negative financial or revenue impacts that have been growing over the last three years.

Talgo and Repsol’s Joint Promotion of Hydrogen-Powered Train Spanish train manufacturer Talgo has signed an agreement with Repsol to promote a hydrogen-powered train on the Iberian Peninsula. The agreement was signed in July 2021 by Juan Abascal, CEO of Repsol for Industrial Transformation and Circular Economy, and Carlos Palacio Oriol, President of Talgo, at the Laz Rozas factory. Repsol is one of the leading Spanish hydrogen producers

and operates the largest hydrogen plant in Europe. As reported, Talgo is already developing the Vittal One hydrogen train that is expected to hit the railroad tracks as early as 2023. It is a modular design in two modes for medium and short railway lines powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen technology is an alternative to zero-emission trains for non-electrified railways where diesel trains now run.

From Denmark with a Billion-Dollar Takeover The Danish transport and logistics giant A.P. Moller – Maersk has announced the acquisition of two logistics companies, Visible Supply Chain Management LLC, based in Salt Lake City, USA, and the Dutch company B2C Europe, with a total takeover value of almost USD 1 bln. This step by the global logistics giant follows a number of acquisitions and investments in sectors like warehousing, customs brokerage and transport technology aimed at expanding Maersk

through maritime freight into domestic logistics. “Our strategy is to provide more integrated solutions for our customers,” explains Soren Skou, Maersk CEO. “We move the shipping containers from port to port, and shipments travel door to door. For this to happen, we need to increase our onshore capabilities,” says A.P. Moller – Maersk CEO, adding that they want to deliver goods from Asia not just to American ports, but right to the buyer’s doorstep.

Logistics

Covid-19 Brings New Opportunities for Railroad

Port of Antwerp Obtained European Money to Develop Major European Maritime Hub Project

The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme that funds projects supporting projects with significant positive impact on the European transport network will provide EUR 10.91M for the Extra Container Capacity Antwerp (ECA) project. By allocating money to this project, Europe and the European Commission emphasise not only the role of the port of Antwerp as a major European maritime hub that is a part of the global network, but also the need for adequate transport infrastructure to meet the challenges of the future. The European money approved will be used to carry out detailed studies to identify the most sustainable solution to create a project that balances the needs of the economy, the environment and continued climate change.

Philippe Citroën, Director-General of the European Rail Supply Industry (Unife), emphasises that the coronavirus pandemic, together with previous crises, represents an opportunity to address some of the challenges facing the railway industry. It is about climate change, funding, research and, of course, increasingly unfair competition. Unlike other transport subsystems (road, aviation), which generate almost a quarter of harmful emissions, the railway sector has managed to reduce its carbon footprint. The European Union's goal must be to move a significant part, i.e. as much as 75% of the domestic freight traffic transported by road today, to rail and inland waterways.

Uzbekistan Expanded Transport Infrastructure to Achieve Goal of Becoming Transport and Logistics Hub for Central Asia Until recently, freight trains from the Angren coal area had to cross two state borders to reach customers in the eastern Fergana Valley. That changed with the completion of the railway on the Angren route–Pop, an almost 123-kilo-

metre railway section across a demanding mountain pass. This new section includes 2km of bridges and the Kamchik Tunnel, the longest tunnel in Central Asia of more than 19km.

News from the world of logistics and transport

The U.S. Port of Jacksonville Expands Range of Services and Increases Container Transshipment The Port of Jacksonville, Florida is working to increase its capacity, which it will offer to customers in 2022. As reported by the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT), the port complex transshipped more than a million containers in the first three quarters of the 2021 fiscal year, up 15 percent from the same period last year. Since the beginning of the

budget year, on 1 October 2020, the Port of Jacksonville has transshipped as much as 20 percent more vehicles than in the same period last year. The volume of vehicles was almost 492,000 units, bringing the port to almost 556,000 units transshipped in 2020. The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) points out that this means a return to the times be-

fore the Covid-19 pandemic. In contrast to the congestion of other U.S. ports, the port of Jacksonville offers shipowners “a number of services, including the flow of berths and terminals, as well as two-way traffic through canals without delay in sea combat.” The port is also connected to the Port of Koper by sea.

Brussels to Install up to 11,000 ECSs by 2035, Promises to Switch to EVs

The European Commission aims to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2035, but the key challenge for the success of this transition will be the installation of electric charging stations for electric cars. Germany, France and the Netherlands are currently the best equipped EU Member States with a diversified charging station infrastructure. The Belgian and European capitals now want to strengthen the mandate of the European Union’s leading position in this field, Alain Maron, the Brussels Minister for Climate Transition, Environment and Energy, said recently.

Volkswagen Group Continues Transition to Low-Emission Logistics with LNG-Powered Ships Volkswagen is the first carmaker to transport most of its new vehicles abroad using low-emission LNG-powered ships (LNG – liquefied natural gas). Following the first voyages of the first two LNG-powered car carriers in 2020, Volkswagen Group Logistics has now ordered four more ships powered by environmentally friendly liquefied natural gas. They should sail the world’s oceans by

the end of 2023 and serve the North American route between Emden in Germany and Veracruz in Mexico. On the return voyage, the LNG-powered ships will transport new vehicles destined for Europe. Soon, six of the nine car carriers transporting cars across the North Atlantic for Volkswagen will use ships powered by environmentally friendly LNG engines.

Source: www.railjournal.com www.railwaygazette.com

Logistics

Railway network in Slovenia

Line lenght 1.207,701 km

Total Double-track

333,539 km

Single-track

874,162 km 510 km

Electrified

Goods transported

Passengers carried 2018

20.463

(in thousand tonnes)

2018

20.463

13.554

(million)

20.573 20.463 2019

2019

20.573

(in thousand tonnes)

20.573

13.907

(million)

2021