A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) has announced significant railway capacity reductions at the Port of Koper due to extensive ongoing upgrades of Slovenian public railway infrastructure.
The works aim to enhance the Slovenian rail infrastructure’s future capacity and efficiency, crucial for sustaining growth at the Port of Koper.
Expected to intensify between June and December 2025, these will affect key rail corridors servicing the port, particularly the Ljubljana–Sežana/Koper line, the main rail link to the port.
Maersk highlighted several major closures impacting capacity throughput through to the end of 2025:
- A full closure of the Divača–Gornje Ležeče section from 29 June to 30 July 2025.
- A continuous single-track closure on the Verd–Logatec section between 4 August and 10 December 2025.
Reconstruction efforts at major stations will also bring challenges, Maersk noted, including:
- Jesenice station reconstruction will begin in September 2025 with weekend closures, followed by restricted rail transport to and from Austria from March 2026 until January 2027.
- Ljubljana station upgrades starting 6 October 2025 will leave only two lines operational for freight and passenger traffic until January 2026.
Collectively, these disruptions are expected to cause a 50 per cent reduction in rail capacity , leading to reduced service frequency, more complex scheduling, and potential shipment delays.
Maersk urges customers and partners to submit orders and documentation well in advance to help minimise avoidable delays.
The company’s teams are working closely with terminals and rail operators to mitigate the impact and to identify alternatives where possible.
In June of last year, Maersk’s second big vessel capable of running on green methanol arrived in Koper (Slovenia) for the first time.