Transport Minister: Train trip from Sofia to Skopje to take one hour after 2025

The first meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission for Economic and Trade Cooperation between Bulgaria and North Macedonia started in Skopje on 7^th of March. Transport and energy connectivity and economic relations are among the topics discussed.

The focus of the meeting is the construction of the railway line between Sofia and Skopje and the reduction of roaming charges for consumers of mobile services on both sides of the border.

2025-2027 is the final deadline for completion of the Sofia-Skopje railway line, said Bulgarian transport minister Rossen Zhelyazkov, who is co-chair of the commission.

Rossen Zhelyazkov, Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications: In Bulgaria for the new programming period, we are planning 400m euros for the construction and modernization of the Sofia-Pernik-Radomir-Geshevo-Border railway line. On the part of the Republic of North Macedonia, a similar amount is foreseen for the construction of a new line linking Skopje with the border. The Roadmap indicates that by 2025, we will have built-in infrastructure, which is extremely important in terms of mobility, freedom and speed of travel. A train trip from Sofia to Skopje is expected to take no more than an hour aftwr 2015 when the project is completed.

The total cost of construction is over 530 million euros. The aim is to complete the railway line Skopje - the Bulgarian border by 2027. When Skopje and Sofia are connected, this railway line will be part of the trans-European corridor number 8, which should link Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania.