A ceremony was held on Monday to mark the railway overhaul completion between Maribor and Šentilj. The project includes an upgrade of 18 kilometres of existing tracks and construction of the new, 3.73-kilometer section of the railway line between Počehova and Pesnica, which includes the 912.6-meter-long railway viaduct Pesnica, the longest in Slovenia.The section was opened by Slovenian Prime Minister dr. Robert Golob, Minister of infrastructure Alenka Bratušek and Head of European Commission Representation in Slovenia dr. Jerneja Jug Jerše.
The new Pesnica viaduct, located near Maribor in Slovenia, is a relatively low, double-track railway viaduct. It is designed as a series of frame structures connected into an integral structure without bearings. This design concept allows the implementation of a continuous welded rail track (CWR) without expansion joints, with great advantages in terms of traffic safety, economy, sustainability and noise emissions.
The integral structure was achieved by dividing the structure into segments 112 meters long (4 x 28 m) and a split column that shares a common bottom and foundation. The viaduct was designed by Ponting Bridges, and Pomgrad built it. The construction began in October 2020, and opened to traffic in August 2023.
The new viaduct and the nearby, 1,530-meter-long Pekel tunnel replaced the existing structures from 1846, which were part of the Austrian Southern Railway from Vienna to Trieste. Traffic will run on one track until the year 2030, when a second track will be added due to anticipated increased traffic.
Project details:
Railway Viaduct Pesnica
