Divača–Koper Double Track Secures CINEA Approval at €1.15B

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia – 2TDK, the developer of the Divača–Koper second railway line, has received confirmation from the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) that the project is being implemented in accordance with EU requirements. The audit for the 2022–2023 period found no ineligible costs, procurement irregularities, or issues requiring financial corrections. The project’s total cost will not exceed €1.15 billion, and an operating licence application was submitted in May.

What Is the Full Scope of This Project?

The CINEA audit covered expenditure eligibility, internal control systems, public procurement compliance, and conformity with the 2016 Connecting Europe Facility funding agreement. The funded scope includes studies, design, and works for access roads, structures spanning the Glinščica valley, and relocation of the old railway line in Divača. The second track will reduce the route from 44.3 to 27 kilometres, enabling passenger speeds up to 160 km/h and raising daily capacity from roughly 90 to 220 trains per day. A Flirt train completed its first test run on March 11, 2026.

Key Project Data

How Does This Compare to Similar Projects?

The Divača–Koper project’s budget discipline runs counter to a broader European pattern documented by the European Court of Auditors, which found average cost increases of 82 per cent across eight major cross-border transport projects, with five projects delayed by four to 22 years. Romania’s proposed 782 km high-speed corridor from Constanța to the Hungarian border, estimated at €15 billion CAPEX by the European Investment Bank, illustrates the scale of competing regional investment demands (Source: EIB, 2025). Alstom’s €340 million contract to modernise 181 bi-level GO Transit coaches in Ontario, signed in January 2025, shows where rolling stock renewal is absorbing rail capital expenditure elsewhere (Source: Alstom, 2025). The exact amount of EU co-financing disbursed to date under the 2016 CEF call was not disclosed in the audit summary.

Editor’s Analysis

The CINEA result gives 2TDK a clean regulatory record as it transitions into the operating-licence phase, which is likely to accelerate the commercial start of passenger services. With the European Court of Auditors reporting sustained cost inflation across comparable European programmes, the Divača–Koper line’s fixed €1.15 billion envelope strengthens Slovenia’s case for continued CEF support. The EIB’s Romania high-speed assessment, by contrast, highlights how much of the region’s investment focus is shifting to new greenfield corridors (Source: EIB, 2025).

FAQ

Q: When will the Divača–Koper line enter passenger service?
A: An operating licence application was submitted in May, and a Flirt train completed its first test run on March 11, 2026. No official service-start date has been published by 2TDK.

Q: What will the new line change for freight and passenger capacity?
A: The double-track line will cut the route from 44.3 to 27 kilometres and reduce passenger travel times from 43–48 minutes to 15–21 minutes. Daily capacity will increase from approximately 90 trains to around 220 trains per day.

Q: Did the CINEA audit find any financial irregularities?
A: No. The audit for the 2022–2023 period confirmed there were no ineligible costs, procurement irregularities, or issues requiring financial corrections. The findings cover funding under the 2016 Connecting Europe Facility call.