30 minutes by train would solve half of Slovenia’s problems

Hello!

I’ve had this thought in my head for some time, but I finally got around to writing it. I have to emphasize that over the years I have lived in various countries around the world, from practically undeveloped to paradise on Earth, and in the end you really realize that the location of Slovenia is truly exceptional and it is a real shame that it is not taken advantage of.

I would be very grateful if you could take a few minutes to read what I wrote and give your opinion. Thank you!

If we look at the current direction of Slovenia’s development, it seems that as a country we are content with some average growth, instead of taking advantage of the real potential we have. Forecasts show that in the long term we will remain somewhere around 2% GDP growth (1.1% last year), which in practice means stagnation compared to more ambitious countries.

At the same time, it is interesting that the key problem that we have had for years is practically not being solved, and those of you who, for example, work or commute from other places to Ljubljana know:

Too much concentration of everything in Ljubljana.

Today, the reality is that for serious career opportunities, an individual must almost necessarily live in Ljubljana, where the cost of living is significantly higher than in other places. Rents for a basic apartment quickly reach €900-1200, while in other cities in Slovenia a similar apartment costs €500-700. This means a difference of €300-€500 per month, which amounts to €6,000 per year, which is quite a noteworthy number.

Despite this, the state still does not seriously consider one of the most obvious levers for solving this problem as a priority, namely the establishment of an efficient railway connection between the regions and Ljubljana.

If an individual had the opportunity to get to Ljubljana from Celje, Kranj, Novi Mesto or Postojna in about 30 minutes, this would significantly change his decision about where to live. In such a case, he would no longer be forced to pay high rents in the capital, but would be able to live in a more affordable environment and at the same time maintain access to the same employment opportunities, which of course would make the consequences of such a change much wider.

First of all, the real estate market in Ljubljana would be relieved, as the demand for apartments would decrease. At the same time, individuals would be left with more disposable income. If we assume that someone would save about €400 a month on average, that means almost €5,000 a year. If, say, 50,000 people had such savings, we are talking about €150 million of additional purchasing power per year, which could flow into the local economy.

In addition, the actual development of the regions would begin. The money that today flows to Ljubljana through rents would remain in local environments, which would stimulate the development of services, entrepreneurship and infrastructure outside the capital.

In this context, the role of Luka Koper, which represents one of Slovenia’s key strategic advantages, is particularly interesting. The port handles more than 23 million tons of cargo and more than 1.2 million containers annually, with more than half of the cargo traveling onward by rail. This clearly shows that the link between rail and logistics already exists, but its potential is far from being fully exploited.

A slightly more global picture of all this and a comparison with Switzerland.

If we compare this with Switzerland, which is considered one of the most developed countries in the world, we see an interesting difference. Switzerland has no access to the sea, while Slovenia has its own port and relatively short distances between key regions. This means that Slovenia has the potential to develop an even more efficient logistics and transport network.

In addition, Slovenia also offers a certain degree of stability in the current global environment. At a time when there are tensions in Europe, the Middle East and beyond, the country is relatively safe, politically quite stable (more so than I am at the moment :)) and without extreme natural conditions, which makes it attractive for living and investment.

Despite all these advantages, it seems that the country still does not exploit these potentials to a sufficient extent.

To summarize:

• we have a logistical advantage

• we have a stable environment

• we have a small size that enables fast connectivity

• we have the potential for regional development

But without concrete investments in infrastructure, especially railways, and without strategic thinking, we will remain in the current state.