Railway Tunnel: Bulgaria and North Macedonia Join Forces

Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov and North Macedonia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski will launch an important project. The two ministers will sign an agreement for the preparation, construction and operation of a cross-border railway tunnel connecting the two neighboring countries. This was announced by the press center of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

The signing of the key agreement is scheduled for Thursday, November 6th. The ceremony will be held at the railway station in Gyueshevo, with a starting time of 11:45 AM. It is expected that the event will attract significant attention, reflecting the importance of the project for the region.

Important guests are expected to attend the event. Among them are representatives of the European Commission, diplomatic missions of the countries of the European Union and NATO, accredited in Bulgaria. The presence of representatives of financial institutions such as the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank has also been confirmed.

The cross-border tunnel, which will be built, is a key component of the "Western Balkans - Eastern Mediterranean" transport corridor and Strategic Corridor VIII. The implementation of this project aims to ensure the missing railway connection between Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia, which will contribute to improving transport access between the Black Sea and the Adriatic.

The length of the tunnel is planned to be around 2.4 km. A significant part of it, exactly half, will be located on the territory of Bulgaria.

The construction of the tunnel is expected to have a beneficial effect on the economic development of the region, and also to stimulate the integration of transport networks within the European Union and NATO.

The project has a long history. According to the historian Assoc. Prof. Dr. Angel Dzhonev, who has collected information about the railway route in photos, the idea of connecting Sofia, Kyustendil and Skopje dates back centuries. In 1941, the construction of a tunnel began on the Bulgarian side, but only about 550 meters of the planned 2.4 km were excavated.

At the moment, the railway station in Gyueshevo is being renovated, preparing the terrain for the upcoming events.