The city train in Skopje transported around 1,500 passengers in just three days since its launch, and initial analyses show that interest among citizens is good and the number is expected to grow significantly in the coming period. Plans envisage expanding rail traffic with two more lines, which will connect more suburban settlements to the New Railway Station, Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski said in an interview with TV Sitel.
“The initial analyses are good, in three days there were somewhere around 1,500 passengers. I expect that number to grow, that very soon we will exceed 100,000 passengers. Our estimate is that around 200,000 residents are covered by the direct line of the city train,” said Deputy Prime Minister Nikoloski.
According to the minister, work is already underway on designing two more routes, which should expand the coverage of the city train and connect a larger number of settlements with Skopje.
Responding to the question of why there is no route to the Skopje Airport in the current network, Nikoloski says that there is currently no railway to the airport, but that the connection is planned as part of the Fast Rail project.
“There is currently no railway to the Skopje Airport, but that is part of another project, which is the Fast Rail prpject. The idea is to travel from the center of Skopje to the airport at 160 km/h, which will seriously shorten travel time. This is planned to be the first section to be built in the Fast Rail project, said Nikoloski.
