The Opening

The first ceremony on the Bohinj Line was held on 31 May 1904 to mark the breakthrough of the Bohinj Tunnel. The guest of honor, imperial deputy Archduke Leopold Salvator, detonated the explosives to remove the last barrier between Upper Carniola and the Littoral.

The opening of the entire Bohinj Line was initially envisaged for November 1905, but these plans fell through because of difficulty completing the Bukovo Tunnel. On 19 July 1906, the long anticipated inaugural train with numerous eminent guests finally arrived through the Baca Valley. After six years of extensive - and, for that time, daring - construction on extremely demanding terrain, the new railway between the Austro-Hungarian capital Vienna and its quickly developing port in Trieste was finally opened.

The entire Jesenice-Gorizia-Trieste route is 158 km long and is generally divided into two parts: the Bohinj Line is the 89-km-long section between Jesenice and Gorizia, and the Karst Line is the shorter, 20-km-long section between Gorizia and Trieste.

Southern entrance of the Bohinj Tunnel on the day of its breakthrough, 31 May 1904.

A large crowd of people awaited the first train arriving through the Bohinj Tunnel.

A commemorative postcard issued for the opening of the Bohinj Tunnel.

Festively dressed locals and management staff in front of the southern entrance of the Bohinj Tunnel.

Eminent guests that had the honor to be the first to ride the train through the Bohinj Tunnel.

The train before arrival at the Sveta Lucija - Tolmin railway station.

The arrival of the first train at the station in today's Most na Soci.

A long freight train travels over the picturesque Solkan Bridge.

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