About this journey

The journey departs from Ljubljana railway station, the country's principal rail hub and a meeting point for domestic services and international EuroCity trains connecting to Vienna and Trieste. The station itself was completed on 18 April 1848, predating the Austrian Southern Railway's arrival in the city, and it carries that long history into an active present: from autumn 2024, a renovation and expansion project costing around 167 million euros — co-financed with European funds and scheduled for completion in 2026 — is reshaping the junction with a new underpass, rearranged tracks, and covered platforms. The cab ride filmed in August 2024 captures the station at the very start of that transformation.

From Ljubljana, the line runs south through Lower Carniola, a traditional region of Slovenia, passing through settlements including Birčna Vas before continuing toward the border town of Metlika. The route is operated here by the SŽ 610 Stadler diesel unit, suited to a line that moves through quieter terrain away from the electrified main corridors. Metlika station sits near the Croatian border, and the journey as a whole offers a contrast between the scale and ongoing reconstruction of the Slovenian capital's station and the more measured pace of the railway as it reaches the southeastern edge of the country.