Between 5 October 2020 and 10 July 2021, the Karavanke railway tunnel will be completely closed due to construction works within the scope of the project of its safety and technical upgrade. The complete renovation of the tunnel is being carried out by Strabag. The Austrian construction company bid to carry out the construction work, financed by Slovenia and Austria, for EUR 68.4 million, VAT excluded. The work to be done on the Slovenian side of the railway tunnel is estimated at EUR 33.7 million.
The upgrade of the tunnel will establish evacuation routes, communication systems, appropriate systems to ensure fire safety and more efficient rescue in the event of accidents. The damaged parts of the tunnel pipe construction will be completely renovated, the entrance portals will be restored and appropriate drainage will be arranged.
All this will improve the safety and technical conditions in the tunnel, as well as the safety of railway traffic and passengers. As a result of the upgrade, traffic speeds will be increased (to up to 120 kilometres per hour) and, thanks to modern control and safety systems, more frequent train intervals will be enabled.
