Bulgaria and North Macedonia are preparing the cross-border rail tunnel

Bulgaria and North Macedonia have officially begun working together to build a cross-border rail tunnel, a strategic project included in the Pan-European Transport Corridor VIII.

Delegates from the two countries met in Sofia for the first meeting of the Joint Committee on the preparation, construction and operation of cross-border railway infrastructure. The meeting was chaired by Tsveta Timeva, Bulgaria’s Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, and Kaltrina Zekoli Shakiri, North Macedonia’s Deputy Minister of Transport.

The Joint Committee approved the rules of procedure and an indicative timetable for the preparation and construction of the railway tunnel. The work plan will be submitted in a joint letter to the European Commission, as well as to the international financial institutions involved in the development of European infrastructure, including the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Financing options for the project were also discussed during the meeting.

The tunnel will strengthen the rail link along Corridor VIII

The cross-border tunnel is considered an essential component of Corridor VIII, a transport axis connecting the ports of the Black Sea with those of the Adriatic Sea and representing a vital link between European transport networks and trade routes between Europe and Asia.

“The completion of this multimodal transport corridor (Corridor VIII) is essential for improving connectivity between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea. It represents a natural extension of the global transport corridors between Europe and Asia,” said Tsveta Timeva, Bulgaria’s Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications.

According to representatives from North Macedonia, the project is of major regional importance and will contribute to the development of rail freight and passenger transport between the two countries.

“The construction of the cross-border railway tunnel is a strategic project of regional importance, which will connect the two countries via a rail link and contribute to faster and more efficient transport of freight and passengers,” said Kaltrina Zekoli Shakiri, Deputy Minister of Transport of North Macedonia.

Through the work of the Joint Committee, Bulgaria and North Macedonia aim to ensure that the project is implemented in accordance with European standards on railway safety, interoperability and connectivity. The completion of this link would transform the region into a key transit point between Eastern and Western Europe, contributing to the development of a continuous rail route between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea.