The safe bridging of karst phenomena and the remediation of shifts will be crucial for the completion of works on the Second Track project.

We reported more on this on November 7, 2024, and on the same day, we held a press statement, also providing media with photographic and video material, as well as a graphic representation of the situation. In September, we also highlighted at a professional conference that the construction faces significant engineering challenges due to complex geological conditions.

To address the situation related to karst phenomena, bridges of 30-40 meters in length will need to be built to bridge underground caves and allow for the continued construction of the tunnel tubes. Building bridges within six-kilometer tunnels is demanding, as the conditions for construction underground and in the karst world are very specific. They must also meet strict safety and technical requirements for the transportation of passenger and freight trains. These are special structures within tunnels, for which numerous studies and analyses had to be carried out beforehand to design the bridges. The execution of these structures will take time, as this is a unique case in Slovenian tunnel construction.

At the end of September 2024, it was also determined that there had been certain movements of the entire slope above the portal of Tunnel T1 KP in the Glinščica valley over the last two years. Since the movements detected were a result of hill sliding, 2TDK has introduced additional preventive measures and measurements to monitor the situation to ensure extra safety. The movements were measured by devices installed on the Glinščica viaduct during its construction. To protect against further movements of the viaduct's abutment, concrete piles 28 meters deep will be installed near the gallery below the main tunnel tube of T1 KP. This is a remediation measure that will temporarily affect the final completion of works in this area. The purpose of the remediation measures and additional measurements is to ensure the safety of the infrastructure and ensure safe train operations.

We emphasize that less than 2% of the entire route of the second track has been geologically surveyed, which is more than in comparable infrastructure projects, with the rest being unknown and only discovered during construction or while the works are in progress. In construction, especially in large infrastructure projects, it is impossible to predict all geological conditions in advance, especially in complex and dynamic environments like karst terrain.

Both unforeseen natural phenomena (large karst caves requiring underground structures and shifts in Glinščica) will affect the timeline of the entire project, as investigations of the foundation soil in the tunnels are still ongoing, and based on this, necessary project documentation and execution plans are being prepared. Additional geological, geomechanical, and hydrological investigations are also ongoing in the Glinščica valley. 2TDK is putting in every effort to ensure that the completion deadline is not delayed by more than a few months. We expect the contractor to provide a detailed schedule within fourteen days that will take into account the unforeseen situation regarding the karst phenomena and will allow for the operability of the track by March 2026.

In response to numerous media inquiries, we further clarify that unpredictable geological conditions are a justified reason for extending the construction deadline, in accordance with contractual provisions and procedures stipulated by legislation. The contract for the main construction works also includes penalties for unjustified delays by the contractor. In case of unjustified delays in the completion of works within the contractual deadlines, penalties are applied. To date, 2TDK has imposed a contractual penalty of EUR 4.6 million on the contractor of Section 2 for unjustified delays in excavation works on specific tunnels during 2021, 2022, and 2023.

2TDK is aware of the financial difficulties of the Turkish contractor Yapi Merkezi. This topic has already been reported by Slovenian and foreign media. According to our information and assurances from the Turkish contractor Yapi Merkezi, the Turkish Minister of Transport, and the leading bank syndicate in Turkey, the financial difficulties are being resolved. According to Yapi Merkezi, an agreement for debt restructuring with the banks in Turkey has already been signed.