site.btaTransport Ministers of Bulgaria, North Macedonia Push for Rapid Agreement on Railway Tunnel

During a meeting between Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Grozdan Karadjov and his counterpart from the Republic of North Macedonia, Aleksandar Nikoloski, the two sides agreed to quickly finalize the agreement on the construction of a cross-border railway tunnel between the two countries. The meeting was part of the Global Transport Connectivity Forum 2025 in Istanbul, Karadjov's Ministry reported.

The meeting highlighted the need to build and modernize European transport corridors, with special emphasis on the rail and road Corridor 8 as a prerequisite for regional economic development and facilitation of transport and trade.

Karadjov emphasized that Bulgaria is actively working for the implementation of Corridor 8. An announcement regarding the contract for the construction of the last 2.4 km of the railway line between Gyueshevo and the Deve Bair border crossing is expected by the end of July. All the procedures have been completed, and the EUR 69 million funding has been secured under the Programme on Transport Connectivity 2021-2027. The Minister said that Bulgarian train will arrive at Deve Bair by the end of 2028.

Karadjov noted that Bulgaria will invest more than EUR 1.5 billion in the modernization of the railway link from Sofia to the border with the Republic of North Macedonia. In his words, this approach is not only a commitment stemming from Bulgaria's NATO membership, the Treaty on Goodneighbourliness and its protocols, but it is also a sign of the desire for friendship between the people on both sides of the border.

Karadjov and Nikoloski agreed on a new meeting to finalize the text of the agreement on the construction of a railway tunnel between the two countries. They agreed to send experts to take part in a meeting on Corridor 8 organized by the European Commission in July.