The GO! 2025 train

The GO! 2025 train

Together we have succeeded in creating an interesting mobile unit that serves as a wagon, which tells about the European Capital of Culture and reminds of ecological mobility. It will be possible to travel with it between Nova Gorica and Most na Soči and between Most na Soči and Bohinjska Bistrica. The agreement with the Slovenian Railways binds and unites us in our desire to jointly promote a sustainable way of reaching the European Capital of Culture events that will be held in the area of Nova Gorica and Gorizia during 2025

The renovated wagon with GO! 2025 branding and content will be included in a comprehensive promotional campaign on the Transalpine line, surely initiated by the European Capital of Culture. The train is not only a mobile advertisement of the ECOC, but also a mobile stage, as was demonstrated at the press conference by members of Teater na konfini, who participate in the official ECOC program under the Community Stages project. The six compartments showcase in photographs and words some of the protagonists of the official program of the European Capital of Culture: architects Edvard Ravnikar and Vojteh Ravnikar, painter Zoran Mušič and psychiatrist Franco Basaglia, pianist Alexander Gadjiev and director Tomi Janežič, dancers Nastja Bremec Rynia and Michal Rynia, and fashion designer Matea Benedetti. The train and the railroad also give the European Capital of Culture a special significance, as the opening ceremony will take place between the two train stations, one in Gorica and the other in Nova Gorica; by train, we will pass the EPIC (European Platform for the Interpretation of the Century) platform, which will be built right next to the train station, and take the scenic Transalpina line along the Soča River, where Marko Peljhan's ISOLABS art-science project will take place; if we get off in Bled, a brand-new contemporary museum awaits us with the story of painter Zoran Mušič as its backdrop. Trains will take us on a journey through Europe with the Think Tank train project. Samo Turel, mayor of the Municipality of Nova Gorica, said the municipality is very pleased that GO! 2025, in cooperation with the Slovenian Railways, has equipped the carriage with the overall image of the European Capital of Culture.

"The wagon is important in several ways. In terms of sustainability, it announces the desire to bring visitors to Nova Gorica in a sustainable way when they visit one of the ECOC events in 2025. On the other hand, it is one of the most effective ways to promote the ECOC. The new look of the train will draw attention to the fact that the 2025 ECOC will take place in Nova Gorica and Gorica and will also inform those from elsewhere in our region who are not yet aware of it. It is also an interesting artistic project. This float includes original artistic shows and performances, and in this way it shows modernity or thinking outside the box, which is what we are pursuing with the CEC." Rodolfo Ziberna, mayor of the City of Gorica, emphasized the genuine human contact that is getting scarce in today's digitized world in the context of train travel.

Mija Lorbek, ad interim director of GO! 2025, emphasized the importance of European Capitals of Culture for cultural tourism: "When the Council of the European Union and the European Commission wrote the reason why they designate European Capitals of Culture each year, in addition to the basic purpose of highlighting the cultural richness of different regions, they also mentioned the broader positive effects such as: urban renewal, promotion and revitalization of cities, and cultural tourism."

Darja Kocjan, director of passenger transport for the Slovenian Railways, emphasized that the train is an important mode of sustainable mobility. He said 20 new trains suitable for the Transalpina line are planned. In 2023, they exceeded 15 million passengers in Slovenia, of which about 600,000 traveled on the line from Jesenice to Sežana, 100,000 got on or off in Nova Gorica. "The train is already an important mode of mobility, and with each new acquisition we are getting closer and closer to making public transport an attractive and modern means of transport." He concluded by saying that Slovenian Railways is pleased to be part of the joint project with GO! 2025 and that they are also very excited that the passenger car with the colors of the Soča River will contribute to the events of the European Capital of Culture 2025 Nova Gorica - Gorica.