The Slovenian Railways and port operator Luka Koper signed on Friday in Ljubljana a business cooperation deal that upgrades a similar agreement from 1997 that had become obsolete due to increased business between the two companies.
General Manager of Slovenian Railways Joze Jurkovic said that the purpose of the new agreement was to coordinate the services of both firms and to facilitate cooperation.
"Our aim is to boost cargo transport to and fro the port of Luka Koper," he explained and added that the deal also aims at establishing a more symbiotic relationship between the companies.
Luka Koper chairman Robert Casar meanwhile said that his company and the Slovenian Railways are the most important logistics and transport companies in the country.
The aim of this agreement is to move as much cargo as possible and as quickly as possible to the most distant destinations, he added.
According to Casar, the companies are also planning to undertake joint projects on foreign markets. He also made a call for Slovenian rail infrastructure to be upgraded as quickly as possible.
Luka Koper backs plans for a second rail line between the port and the rail hub of Divaca, which has connections to Italy and Ljubljana. "The sooner the works begin the better," he stressed.
Casar's wish was echoed by Jurkovic, who added that the Slovenian Railways moved 5.24 million tonnes of cargo from Slovenia's lone maritime port in the first ten months of 2005, a 5% increase over the same period in 2004.
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