The inauguration coincided with the 15th anniversary of the reopening of Slovenia's only direct rail connection with Hungary and the 25th anniversary of Slovenia's independence from Yugoslavia.
The Pragersko - Hodoš line was the only remaining unelectrified section of Trans-European Corridor 5, which links the Adriatic ports of Trieste, Koper and Rijeka with Budapest and the Hungarian-Ukrainian border.
Work began in 2013 and the project was implemented by a joint venture of Slovenian infrastructure manager SŽ Infrastruktura and principal contractor DRI. In addition to electrification, the project included track reconstruction and realignment, modernisation of stations, and elimination or upgrading of 78 level crossings. Axleloads have been increased and the maximum speed for passenger trains has been raised to 160km/h.
The €465.5m project was financed with the aid of a €207m grant from the European Union Cohesion Fund.
