The unbearable crowds on the roads of Split in the summer months, especially on the way to the ferry port, will be alleviated next season by a mini-metro line from Kopilica to the center itself. As reported, several institutions – from the Ministry of Transport to Croatian Railways and city services – hope to have these trains operating as early as June 1, 2019.
In Kopilica, where there is already a station and which will eventually be the location of the main rail and bus station in Split, will have parking for several hundred cars and additional parking for buses, and should move some of the drivers and passengers away from the congested city center. From Kopilica, the train will arrive at the ferry port through the existing railway tunnel, and the ride will take only a few minutes, reports T Portal on October 5, 2018.
Croatian Railways will send two compositions intended for traffic on this route next summer, which is their 7023 regional transport train, boasting 167 seats and 175 standing places and a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour.
At the Government session held this spring, the railway project for the airport and ferry port in Split was declared nationally strategic and is currently undergoing a feasibility study. This project is considered important as over eight million passengers travel through the two ports on an annual basis. In December, a decision should be made on the route, followed by drafting the conceptual design and the main project. Croatian Railways strongly believes that the operation will be ready and eligible for funding from the next European financial perspective from 2020 to 2027.
Split’s ‘mini-metro’ represents the first phase of this great project, whose chief coordinator was appointed as Mirjana Čagalj, Vice President of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, who leads traffic and construction.
“Yes, our ambition is that next summer we will have an operating route from Kopilica to the ferry port. We are doing this very intensively and with the support of all involved institutions, and everything is in line with the EBRD study that was publicly presented last week,” confirmed Čagalj.
In the coming months, three areas for car parking and a larger area for bus stops and parking should be arranged in Kopilica. It is estimated that some of the regular bus lines could end here, but some of the tourist buses could also be attracted to move crowds away from the city center.
For the long-term, Split plans to move the railway station from the center of the city, thus creating the prerequisites for the development of the most important and most valuable city space.
The complete project connecting Split Airport and the ferry port, which is some 30 kilometers away, including the construction of two stations and a large traffic hub in Kopilica, should be realized within five years with the use of European funds.
