The location at the junction of the Mediterranean, the Alps, the Dinarides and the Pannonian Plain and the area being traversed by major rivers have been the reasons for the intersection of the main transport routes in Slovenia. Their course was established already in Antiquity. A particular geographic advantage in recent times has been the location of the intersection of the Pan-European transport corridors V (the fastest link between the North Adriatic, and Central and Eastern Europe) and X (linking Central Europe with the Balkans) in the country. This gives it a special position in the European social, economic and cultural integration and restructuring. [1]
The existing Slovenian rails, which were mostly built in the 19th century, are out-of-date and can't compete with the motorway network. [2] The maintenance and modernisation of the Slovenian railway network has been neglected due to the lack of financial assets, creating bottlenecks. [3] Nevertheless, it has been gaining momentum with the completion of the motorway cross. [2] The Slovenian Railways company operates 1,229 km (764 mi) of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge tracks, 331 km (206 mi) as double track, and reaches all regions of the country. [4] The network comprises main lines and regional lines. [3] Electrification is provided by a 3 kV DC system, except at the junctions with railways of foreign countries, [3] and covers 503.5 kilometres (312.9 mi). [5] Due to the out-of-date infrastructure, the share of the railway freight transport has been in decline in Slovenia despite growing slightly in absolute terms. [6] The railway passenger transport has been recovering after a large drop in the 1990s. [7] The Pan-European railway corridors V and X, and several E-railways (E65, E67, E69, and E70) intersect in Slovenia. [3] All international transit trains in Slovenia drive through the Ljubljana Railway Hub, and all international passenger trains stop there. [8] As of 2018, first tenders should be invited for the upgrade of the Divača-Koper Railway.
With the share of over 80%, the road freight and passenger transport constitutes the largest part of transport in Slovenia. [9] Personal cars are much more popular than public road passenger transport, which has significantly declined. [9] [10] Motorways and expressways, operated by the Motorway Company in the Republic of Slovenia, are the state roads of the highest category. [11] On motorways and express ways, cars must have a toll sticker. [12] Slovenia has a very high motorway density compared to the European Union average. [12] The first highway in Slovenia, the A1 motorway connecting Vrhnika and Postojna, was opened in 1972, [13] but the construction was sped up significantly in 1994, when the National Assembly enacted the first National Motorway Construction Programme. [14] Till February 2012, a network consisting of 528 km (328 mi) of motorways, expressways and similar roads has been built. [13] Its essential section, [14] the Slovenian Motorway Cross, which is part of the Trans-European Road network, was completed in October 2011. [15] It comprises the motorway route heading from east to west, in line with the Pan-European Corridor V, and the motorway route heading in the north–south direction, in line with the Pan-European Corridor X, [14] part of which is considered the Slovenian transport backbone. [12] The newly built road system slowly, but steadily transforms Slovenia into a large conurbation and connects it as a unitary social, economic and cultural space, with links to neighbouring areas. [16] In contrast, other state roads, managed by the Slovenian Infrastructure Agency (until January 2015 named Slovenian Roads Agency), have been rapidly deteriorating due to neglect and the overall increase in traffic. [12] About half of them are in a bad condition. [17] The urban and suburban network served by buses is relatively dense. [12]
The first highway in Slovenia, the A1, was opened in 1958 as part of the major Yugoslav project of the Brotherhood and Unity Highway. The section between Ljubljana and Zagreb was built by 54,000 volunteers in less than eight months in 1958. [18] It connects Vrhnika and Postojna. Constructed under the liberal minded government of Stane Kavčič their development plan envisioned a modern highway network spanning Slovenia and connecting the republic to Italy and Austria. After the liberal fraction of the Communist Party of Slovenia was deposed, expansion of the Slovenian highway network came to a halt. In the 1990s the new country started the 'National Programme of Highway Construction', effectively re-using the old communist plans. Since then about 400 km of motorways, expressways and similar roads have been completed, easing automotive transport across the country and providing a strong road service between eastern and western Europe. This has provided a boost to the national economy, encouraging the development of transportation and export industries.
There are two types of highways in Slovenia. Avtocesta (abbr. AC) are dual carriage way motorways with a speed limit of 130 km/h. They have green road signs as in Italy, Croatia and other countries. A hitra cesta (HC) is a secondary road also a dual carriageway but without a hard shoulder for emergencies. They have a speed limit of 110 km/h and have blue road signs.
Since 1 June 2008 highway users in Slovenia have been required to buy a toll sticker (Slovene : vinjeta). This system was investigated by the European Commission that it was unfair upon holiday makers and other non Slovenian users of the highway system. On 28 January 2010, after short-term stickers were introduced by Slovenia and some other changes were made to the Slovenian toll sticker system, the European Commission concluded that the toll sticker system is in accordance with European law. [19]
According to the Slovenian Motorway Company Act valid since December 2010, the construction and building of highways in Slovenia is carried out and financed by private companies, primarily the Motorway Company in the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: Družba za avtoceste v Republiki Sloveniji, acronym DARS), while the strategic planning and the acquisition of land for their course is carried out and financed by the Government of Slovenia. [20] [21] The highways are owned by DARS. [22]
The beginnings of the bus transport in Slovenia date back to the early 20th century, when Slovenia was part of Austria-Hungary. The first two bus routes, between Gorizia and Postojna and between Idrija and Logatec, were opened in 1912, with additional four opened before World War I. The length of bus lines was 295 km (183 mi). The transport was primarily organised by the Post Directorate of Austria. After the war, the transport was organised by the Post Directorate of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, gradually joined by private operators. The buses, primarily manufactured by Saurer, Benz, and Daimler, were small and could accept six to ten passengers. The total length of bus lines at the end of the mid-war period was 2,893 km (1,798 mi). [23] [24]
After the end of World War II the bus traffic drastically developed. In 1946 the state ministry of local transport in the People's Republic of Slovenia established the National Bus and Transport Company of Slovenia (Državno avtobusno in prevozniško podjetje Slovenije, DAPPS). In 1948 the company was reorganised to another company named Slovenija avtopromet (SAP) with branches across the country, some of which were later transformed to independent local bus operators. [25] The bus transport gradually replaced the railway transport and became the predominant means of public transport in the 1960s. The bus lines reached over 20,000 km (12,000 mi) (1 km/km2), with 26 million passengers altogether. [24]
Today the bus traffic is the main means of public passenger transport in Slovenia, particularly in towns. The main bus stations are in Ljubljana, Maribor, Celje, and Kranj. The bus transport and the public transport in general have steeply declined in Slovenia in the 1990s, particularly in the western part of the country. They are used mainly by people who have no other option; most people travel with their own car. [26]
Crude oil 5 km; natural gas 840 km (2010).
There are three ports on the Slovenian coast. The traffic is mostly international. [27] [28] The major is the Port of Koper, built in 1957. [29] It is a feeder port. [29] It is about 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) closer to destinations east of the Suez than the ports of Northern Europe, and the land transport from Koper by road and by railway to the main industrial centres in Central Europe is approximately 500 kilometres (310 mi) shorter than from Northern European ports. [30] It is multimodal and one of the most modern in this part of the world, [27] but its development is hindered by the lack of sufficient depth. [31] From it, there are reliable and regular shipping container lines to all major world ports. [30] The port has been rapidly growing and in 2011, more than 17 million tonnes (16,7 million long tons, 18,7 million short tons) of cargo passed through it. [30] [32] It is the largest Northern Adriatic port in terms of container transport. [33] In 2011, almost 590,000 TEUs passed through it. [34] There is a skewed balance in the direction of trade flows in the Port of Koper where import flows clearly outweigh export flows. [12] The majority of maritime passenger traffic in Slovenia takes place in Koper, [35] where a passenger terminal was completed in 2005. [36] It has recorded about 100,000 passengers in 2011, [37] and has been visited by the largest passenger ships, such as the MS Voyager of the Seas. [38] The two smaller ports used for the international passenger transport are located in Izola and Piran. The Port of Piran is also used for the international transport of salt, whereas the Port of Izola is used for fish disembarkation. Passenger transport in Slovenia takes place mainly with Italy and Croatia. [39] The only shipping company of Slovenia is Splošna plovba. [40] It operates 28 ships with 1,025,000 tonnes of tonnage. [41] It transports freight and is active only in foreign ports. [35]
The first regular flights in Slovenia were established in the 1930s when the Yugoslav flag-carrier Aeroput linked Ljubljana since 1933 with numerous domestic destinations such as Belgrade, Zagreb, Sušak and Borovo. [42] In 1934 Aeroput opened the first international regular flight from Ljubljana linking it to Austrian city of Klagenfurt. [43] After WWII, the company, rebranded as JAT Yugoslav Airlines, further developed and expanded the domestic network. A major break-trouth happened in the 1960s with the creation of a regional company, Adria Airways (known until 1986 as Inex-Adria Aviopromet because of its links with the Serbian company InterExport). Initially formed in Zagreb in 1961, the airline changed its headquarters to Ljubljana in 1964 with the opening of the new Ljubljana airport. [44] It linked, along JAT, Ljubljana with numerous domestic and international destinations, [45] and even included, since 1965, charter flights to the United States. [44] Also, in this period, numerous foreign companies opened regular flights to Ljubljana[ citation needed ]. [46] Later, with the independence of Slovenia, Adria Airways became the country's flag-carrier.
Air transport in Slovenia is quite limited, [6] but has significantly grown since 1991. [47] There are three international airports in Slovenia. Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport in the central part of the country is by far the busiest, [47] with connections to many major European destinations. [48] Around 1.4 million passengers and 15,000 to 17,000 tonnes of cargo pass through it each year. [49] The Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport is located in the eastern part of the country and the Portorož Airport in the western part. [47] It has no scheduled or chartered passenger or cargo service as of 2018, but sees a lot of private flights. Adria Airways was the largest Slovenian airline [47] until September 2019, when it declared bankruptcy and ceased all operations. Since 2003, several new carriers have entered the market, mainly low-cost airlines. [12] The only Slovenian military airport is the Cerklje ob Krki Air Base near the Slovenia–Croatia border in the southwestern part of the country. [50] There are also 12 public airports in Slovenia. [47]
Airports: 16 (2012)
Airstrips: 44 (2004)
total: 7
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2012)
total: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 5 (2012)
This article considers transport in Armenia.
Transport in Belgium is facilitated with well-developed road, air, rail and water networks. The rail network has 2,950 km (1,830 mi) of electrified tracks. There are 118,414 km (73,579 mi) of roads, among which there are 1,747 km (1,086 mi) of motorways, 13,892 km (8,632 mi) of main roads and 102,775 km (63,861 mi) of other paved roads. There is also a well-developed urban rail network in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent and Charleroi. The ports of Antwerp and Bruges-Zeebrugge are two of the biggest seaports in Europe. Brussels Airport is Belgium's biggest airport.
Transport in Bulgaria is dominated by road transport, despite nearly half of all paved roads belonging to the lowest category of roads. As of December 2015, the country had 829 kilometers of highways.
Transport in Croatia relies on several main modes, including transport by car, train, ship and plane. Road transport incorporates a comprehensive network of state, county and local routes augmented by a network of highways for long-distance travelling. Water transport can be divided into sea, based on the ports of Rijeka, Ploče, Split and Zadar, and river transport, based on Sava, Danube and, to a lesser extent, Drava. Croatia has 9 international airports and several airlines, of which the most notable are Croatia Airlines and Trade Air. Rail network is fairly developed but regarding inter-city transport, bus tends to be far more common than the rail.
The transport system of Finland is well-developed. Factors affecting traffic include the sparse population and long distance between towns and cities, and the cold climate with waterways freezing and land covered in snow for winter.
As a densely populated country in a central location in Europe and with a developed economy, Germany has a dense transport infrastructure.
Transport in Ghana is accomplished by road, rail, air and water. Ghana's transportation and communications networks are centered in the southern regions, especially the areas in which gold, cocoa, and timber are produced. The northern and central areas are connected through a major road system.
Transport in Hungary relies on several main modes, including transport by road, rail, air and water.
Most of the transport system in Ireland is in public hands, either side of the Irish border. The Irish road network has evolved separately in the two jurisdictions into which Ireland is divided, while the Irish rail network was mostly created prior to the partition of Ireland.
Italy has a well developed transport infrastructure. The Italian rail network is extensive, especially in the north, and it includes a high-speed rail network that joins the major cities of Italy from Naples through northern cities such as Milan and Turin. The Florence–Rome high-speed railway was the first high-speed line opened in Europe when more than half of it opened in 1977. Italy has 2,507 people and 12.46 km2 per kilometer of rail track, giving Italy the world's 13th largest rail network. The Italian rail network is operated by state-owned Ferrovie dello Stato, while the rail tracks and infrastructure are managed by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana.
The Netherlands is both a very densely populated and a highly developed country in which transport is a key factor of the economy. Correspondingly it has a very dense and modern infrastructure, facilitating transport with road, rail, air and water networks. In its Global Competitiveness Report for 2014-2015, the World Economic Forum ranked the Dutch transport infrastructure fourth in the world.
Transport in Pakistan is extensive and varied, and serves a population of over 212.2 million people. In recent years, new national highways have been built, with the addition of motorways which have improved trade and logistics within the country. Pakistan's rail network owned by Pakistan Railways is also undergoing expansion in recent years. Airports and seaports have been built with the addition of foreign and domestic funding. Transportation challenges in developing countries like Pakistan are escalating due to poor planning, inadequate governance, and corrupt practices. Consequently, these nations are grappling with a significant crisis in their transportation systems.
Transportation infrastructure in Romania is the property of the state, and is administered by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Constructions and Tourism, except when operated as a concession, in which case the concessions are made by the Ministry of Administration and Interior.
Transport in Sri Lanka is based on its road network, which is centred on the country's commercial capital Colombo. A rail network handles a portion of Sri Lanka's transport needs. There are navigable waterways, harbours and three international airports: in Katunayake, 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Colombo, in Hambantota, and in Jaffna.
Switzerland has a dense network of roads and railways. The Swiss public transport network has a total length of 24,500 kilometers and has more than 2600 stations and stops.
Transport in Turkey is road-dominated and mostly fuelled by diesel. Transport consumes a quarter of energy in Turkey, and is a major source of air pollution in Turkey and greenhouse gas emissions by Turkey. The World Health Organization has called for more active transport such as cycling.
Transport in Serbia includes transport by road, rail, air and water. Road transport incorporates a comprehensive network of major and minor roads. Rail transport is fairly developed, although dual track and electrification are not very common. Water transport revolves around river transport while air transport around country's three main international airports.
Transport in Albania consists of transport by land, water and air, which are predominantly under the supervision of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Albania. The development and improvement of the transport in the country remains among the most important priorities of the Government of Albania.
Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport, also known by its previous name Brnik Airport, is the international airport serving Ljubljana and the largest airport in Slovenia. It is located near Brnik, 24 km (15 mi) northwest of Ljubljana and 9.5 km (5.9 mi) east of Kranj, at the foothills of Kamnik–Savinja Alps.
The highways in Slovenia are the central state roads in Slovenia and are divided into motorways and expressways. Motorways are dual carriageways with a speed limit of 130 kilometres per hour (81 mph). They have white-on-green road signs as in Italy, Croatia and other countries nearby. Expressways are secondary roads, also dual carriageways, usually without a hard shoulder. They have a speed limit of 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph) and have white-on-blue road signs.
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