From Ljubljana to Istanbul in 35 hours - Formation of alliance of Serbian, Croatian and Slovenian railways

Ministers of transportation of Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia reached the agreement yesterday (July 26, 2010) in Brdo near Kranj on formation of an alliance of railway companies of the three states, with the aim of making transportation of goods and passengers more efficient, profitable and faster, and shortening the duration of travel from Ljubljana to Istanbul from 57 to 35 hours.

Ministers Milutin Mrkonjić, Patrik Vlačić and Božidar Kalmeta will sign the contract on formation of this joint venture on Friday (July 30, 2010) in Belgrade.

Ministers assessed that formation of one such joint venture in the railway sector was the right way to eliminate all weaknesses affecting the business efficiency such as complicated and slow procedures on border crossings, that is, customs, phytosanitary, and veterinarian inspections.

Mrkonjić promised that the procedures on border crossings in Serbia would soon be quicker and more efficient. He pointed out that a team to run the border had been formed for that reason and that it consisted of the representatives of the ministries of internal affairs, infrastructure, finance, and agriculture.