Cross-border railway tunnel to link Skopje and Sofia
On 6 November, North Macedonia and Bulgaria signed an agreement on the construction and operation of the Corridor VIII railway tunnel between Gyueshevo in Bulgaria and Deve Bair in North Macedonia.
Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Aleksandar Nikoloski and his Bulgarian counterpart, Grozdan Karadzhov – both also Ministers of Transport – put pen to paper in the presence of representatives from the European Commission, NATO, and the financial institutions supporting this connection project between the two countries.
The planned length of the tunnel is approximately 2.4 kilometres — split almost exactly in half on Macedonian and Bulgarian territory.
Corridor VIII is a significant east–west route on the Western Balkans-Eastern Mediterranean Transport Corridor. Starting in Durres, Albania, on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, it runs to Burgas on the Black Sea, continuing further to Odesa, Ukraine.
Nikoloski and Karadzhov emphasised the importance of the connection. Of the three planned sections, the first Kumanovo-Beljakovce section is completed, the second is under construction, and for the third, Deputy PM Nikoloski announced that a tender for a contractor will be published next month.
On the Bulgarian side, Bulgaria is constructing a new railway route from Gyueshevo to the border with North Macedonia, the remaining few kilometres of the 947 km of Corridor VIII that are on Bulgarian territory. Travel times will be reduced, and freight can be planned with fewer detours and more predictable schedules.
“History has left us mountains and borders, but our generation must build tunnels and bridges not only as infrastructure projects, but as a foundation for a more prosperous future in the Balkans,” Karadzhov stated.
Valentina Superti, Director for the Western Balkans at the European Commission, stated that both neighbouring countries can count on the Commission’s support: “Joint work on cross-border initiatives like this reinforces good neighbourly relations between Bulgaria and North Macedonia – a key element in the latter’s EU accession process".
The construction of the tunnel as part of the trans-European network and under the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, she assessed, is an initiative that will open a path leading to social and economic benefits for the region through improved transport services and better access to EU and global markets.
Map of WBIF supported Railway projects here
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About WBIF and Global Gateway
The Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) contributes directly to Global Gateway, the EU’s strategy to boost smart, clean and secure connections in digital, energy and transport, while strengthening health, education and research systems worldwide. Global Gateway aims to mobilise up to €300 billion worldwide in investments through a Team Europe approach, bringing together the EU, its Member States and financial institutions to leverage investments for a transformational impact.