Corridor 8 is a national priority for Bulgaria, construction of the railway is not delayed, says the Bulgarian Ministry of Transport and Communications

Corridor 8 is a national priority for Bulgaria informs the Bulgarian Ministry of Transport and Communications and emphasizes that « has not delayed the construction of the railway to Macedonia ».

The claim that Bulgaria has delayed the modernization of the Bulgarian part, the BTA ministry as media speculation.

– The Ministry of Transport and Communications has been making efforts for the development of Corridor 8 for years, which links the Adriatic Sea to the Black Sea through Albania, the Republic of Northern Macedonia and Bulgaria. Of the 1220km railroad, more than half of its length – 747 kilometers, is on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria. Of these, only 2.5 kilometers of railroad remains to be built – from Gjueshevo to Deve Bair (border with the Republic of Northern Macedonia). The section is funded within the framework of the 2021 – 2027 transport connection and will be completed in accordance with the schedule until 2029. By comparison, the missing section on the territory of RSM is approximately 70 kilometers, the ministry said – BTA reports.

According to the Bulgarian ministry, the Radomir -Gjueshevo railway line is in operation and after the end of the 2.5km -long section from Gjueshevo to Deveve Bair, through the cross -border tunnel it will be able to join the Macedonian operator's network.

– On January 15, 2025 According to the established procedure, Bulgaria handed over to the Republic of Northern Macedonia a draft agreement on cross-border rail tunnel with the Republic of Northern Macedonia, which assumes that the parties have a common purpose-the construction of a cross-border rail tunnel between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Northern Macedonia in the border area, including the construction of a public construction Grant aid for its construction, as the built facility should meet EU and NATO requirements for this type of infrastructure. To date there is no official response from RSM -they say in their position by the Bulgarian Ministry.

Minister of Transport and Communications Aleksandar Niolovski, today the decision of the Bulgarian government to redirect the construction of a railroad from Sofia to Burgas to the construction of a railway to Burgas, as a political message on their commitment to the construction of their commitment.

-Letters have been sent to the European delegation, to the European Transport Community, but also to the two banks The European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, after yesterday the Bulgarian government informed that there were no funds for the railway, which should connect Sofia-Skopje through the Railway Corridor 8.

Our country, he said, remains strongly dedicated to the construction of the Railway Corridor 8. At the moment, the second section is actively working, 34 km long, which goes from Beljakovce to the city of Kriva Palanka.