Bohinj Railway
The Bohinj Railway or Transalpina is a railway in Slovenia extending into Italy. It connects Jesenice in Slovenia with the towns of Nova Gorica in Slovenia and Gorizia in Italy through the Julian Alps. It was built by Austria-Hungary in 1904 as a strategic railway to the port of Trieste. During the first world war, it carried the majority of Austrian military supplies to the Isonzo Front.
Due to the new political divisions of Europe and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, the railway decreased in importance more and more until the end of the 20th century. However, the entry of Slovenia in the European Union has resulted in new perspectives for the railway as a convenient passenger and goods route from Central and Eastern Europe to the port of Trieste.
Distinctive features of the railway are the 6339 metre-long Bohinj Tunnel under the 1498 metre-tall Kobla Mountain, and the Solkan Bridge with its 85m wide arch over the Soča River.
Links
Literature
- Karol Rustja, Proga predorov (2nd edition), Železniško gospodarstvo, Odsek za muzejsko dejavnost, Ljubljana 1990. Template:COBISS (in Slovenian)
