Szijjártó said the upgrade will be a big step forward for Hungary’s foreign trade activities as exports en route to the Middle East and Far East will reach the Port of Koper in western Slovenia a lot faster than before.

About 20% of the freight from the port has ties to Hungary, Szijjártó said, adding that Hungarian companies ship or receive 170,000 containers through the port every year.

The minister noted that Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia had jointly initiated setting up the Baltic- Adriatic “Amber” rail freight corridor. As part of that project, Hungary has begun upgrading a number of its own railway lines, he said.

Cerar said the investment will allow trains to travel along the line at speeds of up to 170km/h. The project could provide the impetus for further action by Slovenia and Hungary, he added.

The railway line contains a total of 78 junctions. The upgrade of the Pragersko- Hodos line cost 465.5 million euros with 231.1 million euros coming from the European Union’s Cohesion Fund.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.

MTI photo: KKM / Burger Zsolt