The reconstruction of the Skopje bypass railway from Drachevo to Ilinden has been completed, making it possible for freight trains to be redirected outside of Skopje. This railway will only be used by freight trains, enabling better organization and transport development, Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski said Wednesday, after a test drive on the reconstructed line together with PE Railway Infrastructure director Sinisha Ivanovski.
This section will be used exclusively for freight rail traffic, Nikoloski stressed, which will contribute to better organization and development of overall transport.
“I’m pleased that we are doing a test drive on the renovated railway corridor, the practical bypass of the City of Skopje, the line between Drachevo and Ilinden, which takes freight trains outside the City of Skopje. The implementation of this project greatly helps in protecting the environment and reducing pollution in Skopje, considering that freight trains will not enter the City of Skopje.
This is a project that was carried out by the PE Railways Infrastructure, it was completed as quickly as possible, there is currently a test period, for which it is necessary to make a technical acceptance and I expect that cargo trains will use this section in about twenty days.
This will mean a lot for protecting the environment and reducing pollution in Skopje on the one hand, but on the other hand it will mean faster cargo traffic on Corridor X, which will mean more business and more railway compositions on the Macedonian railways, which will greatly contribute to the development of business and overall transport. Very soon, no later than September 1, we will see both the commissioning and the city train, the first line that will go from Zelenikovo through Drachevo to the center of Skopje,” said Deputy PM Nikoloski.
