site.btaNikoloski: Current Design for Railway Corridor VIII Will Not Be Implemented, It Is Still Unclear Whether There Will Be New One

The current design of railway Corridor VIII "will certainly not be implemented" and it remains to be seen whether a new one will be implemented, said North Macedonia’s Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski.

"The dialogue (with Bulgaria) started in Brussels on Wednesday. In two weeks, on the 31st, there will be a meeting again. We insist on our positions that there should be a joint and feasible project (with Bulgaria), it is normal to consider its cost. At this cost (of the railway from Kriva Palanka to the border with Bulgaria), of course, we cannot implement it. Let's see what we will do. I am still against this design. This design will certainly not be implemented. We’ll see whether we will work on a new one, " Nikoloski told TV Telma.

Bulgaria and North Macedonia have reaffirmed their commitment to proceed with the construction of railway Corridor VIII, the European Commission said after a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday between representatives of the two countries, the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Transport Community Secretariat.

In an official statement, the Ministry of Transport of North Macedonia said that the only acceptable condition for North Macedonia is that Bulgaria starts designing the tunnel and that the two countries jointly carry out its drilling.

Construction works on the railway Corridor VIII on the territory of North Macedonia, between Kumanovo- Beljakovce-Kriva Palanka, was officially launched in October 2022 near Kumanovo with the participation of the then Prime Minister Galab Donev of Bulgaria and Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski of North Macedonia.

The total length of the eastern end of the Corridor VIII railway on the territory of North Macedonia is 88.2 km. On the territory of North Macedonia, the railway has to be built according to European standards in order to make it compatible with the railway lines in Europe.