NEWS

Slovenian Prime Minister attends the 20th anniversary of Slovenian Railwaymen Trade Union

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, today in Otočec attended the 20th anniversary of the Slovenian Railwaymen Trade Union. As the speaker of honour, Mr Pahor, among other things, said: "By the end of this year, the Slovenian Railways will recover. Through sound financial and other relevant policies, they can launch their modernisation project worth some 10 billion euro in a manner, which will satisfy all involved." Mr Pahor further said that he believes in the future of freight and passenger railway transport, which will remain in fashion also in the 21st century when many things will change or become obsolete. "Railway transport will still exist, while leaving us with a challenge of whether we can understand the opportunity offered by railways or resolve problems confronted by this sector by not only rehabilitating, but also modernising the system," pointed out Mr Pahor.

  

The Slovenian Prime Minister went on to emphasise that he assumed personal responsibility for the accomplishment of this task and reaffirmed his concept of rehabilitating the railways in terms of capital by the end of this year, since by then, all debts will steadily be paid off. Moreover, the first investments will be launched, such as the second Divača-Koper railway track, followed by the modernisation of the entire railway system, announced Mr Pahor. During the last six months since the Government has been actively dealing with the Slovenian Railways, several problems were resolved. The debt was reduced and the issue of capital adequacy will be removed from the agenda. Within a foreseeable timeframe, this will be followed by the rehabilitation and modernisation of the entire system, making it more attractive and competitive also by international standards.