North Macedonia is close to reaching a final agreement with Bulgaria on the construction of Corridor 8, a key transport link connecting the Adriatic and Black Seas, Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski said on Tuesday.
“The government has decided to begin preparatory work for the full reconstruction of the railway from Skopje to Kichevo, which is part of Corridor 8,” Nikoloski told a news conference, citing state news agency BGNES. “The railway line from Kumanovo to Beljakovce has been opened, and work is under way on the Beljakovce–Kriva Palanka section. We are also close to a final agreement with Bulgaria on the connection.”
Nikoloski said the Skopje–Kichevo line, which is currently out of service, would be modernized with new signaling systems and electrification. The European Union, through the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, will provide a €5.3 million grant for the project and related studies, he added.
Corridor 8 is designed to link Italian ports Bari and Brindisi with Albania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria’s Black Sea cities of Burgas and Varna. It is considered a strategic project for NATO’s military mobility in Southeast Europe and combines roads, railways and supporting infrastructure.