The construction of the second section of the railway to Bulgaria, on the Beljakovce-KrivaPalanka stretch, is progressing with increased dynamics, it is one of the most complex and largest infrastructure projects being implemented in the country, Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport AleksandarNikoloski said during an inspection of the construction works accompanied by the director of the PE Macedonian Railways Infrastructure and representatives of the contractor Gülermak.
Deputy PMNikoloski stressed during the visit that the project is an engineering achievement, the railway is part of the strategic NATO Corridor 8, which connects Macedonia with Bulgaria and the Black Sea.
“This is an extremely challenging project that includes the construction of three new stations, Kratovo, Romanovce and Ginovce, 29 bridges, 15 tunnels, six overpasses, three underpasses. Considering the configuration of the terrain, this will be a railway on which trains will operate at a speed of 100 to 120 kilometers per hour, which in such conditions is a truly excellent solution,” said Nikoloski.
The Deputy PMpointed out that the bridges being built represent an engineering marvel, with pillars up to 61 meters high, which is more than twice as high as an average eight-story residential building.
“The tallest pillar being built is a full 61 meters. Just for comparison, an average building, somewhere between 7-8 floors, is 24-25 meters high, which means that here we are talking about buildings that would be 10-20 floors high, if these pillars were moved to an urban area,” said Nikoloski.
As part of the project, tens of thousands of tons of reinforcement and a total of 125,000 cubic meters of concrete will be installed. Nikoloski informed that the progress of the construction works has reached 31 percent, while the total implementation of the project is 36 percent.
“I expect trains to be operating here by October 2028. This is part of the Corridor VIII eastern wing, after the construction of the second section, we will certainly build the third. For this, in cooperation with the European Investment Bank, EBRD and the EU, from which we have a grant, I would like to thank you. A tender has already been announced for the selection of a Supervisory Authority, and I expect in the next few weeks, in cooperation with the EBRD and the EU, to announce the tender for construction, so that we can finally connect Macedonia with Bulgaria by rail, that is, connect Skopje with Sofia, and from there with the Black Sea,” added Deputy Prime Minister Nikoloski.
The high government official recalled that Corridor VIII has been declared by NATO as the second most important security corridor and has great geostrategic significance for the region, to which the country’s international partners are particularly committed.
