Bohinj Railway
The Bohinj Railway (Slovene: Bohinjska proga, Bohinjska železnica) 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 new political divisions in Europe, with the dissolution of Austria-Hungary into separate states in 1918 and the isolation of communist Yugoslavia after 1945, the railway decreased in importance during the twentieth century. However, Slovenia's accession to the European Union has created new prospects for the railway as a convenient passenger and freight route from Central and Eastern Europe to the port of Trieste.
Distinctive features of the railway are the 6,339 metre-long Bohinj Tunnel under 1,498 meter high Mount Kobla and the Solkan Bridge with its 85 meter wide arch over the Soča River.
References
- Karol Rustja, Proga predorov (2nd edition), Železniško gospodarstvo, Odsek za muzejsko dejavnost, Ljubljana 1990. COBISS 13198338 (Slovene)