Currently, Bulgaria and North Macedonia do not have a railway crossing their borders. However, things are about to change, as a new 2.4-kilometre tunnel connecting the line arriving in Gyueshevo (BG) to Deve Bair (MK) should be ready by 2028.
“All procedures have been completed, and the financing of 69 million euros has been provided under the Transport Connectivity Program 2021-2027. By the end of 2028, the Bulgarian train will arrive at Deve Bair”, the Bulgarian Minister of Transport Grozdan Karadzhov stated.
Both countries are investing to develop the rail axis that will connect the Bulgarian capital Sofia with Kumanovo, North Macedonia’s second largest city. Bulgaria says that the modernisation of the line from Sofia to the border with North Macedonia will cost over 1,5 billion euros.
North Macedonia, on the other hand, has modernised the line between Kumanovo and Beljakovce (30.8 kilometres) and is building a new one from there to the border. The construction of the new infrastructure will be divided into two phases: Beljakovce-Kriva Palanka (34 kilometres) and Kriva Palanka-Deve Bair (23 kilometres).
Corridor VIII
A railway connection between the two countries would have advantages both for them as well as for southern Europe in general. Bulgaria and North Macedonia are strong trade partners, with Bulgaria exporting goods for over 800 million euros in 2024. The main industries involved in this export, (iron, steel, fuel, automotive) could benefit from a rail connection.
Moreover, this line would become a key section of the Corridor VIII, a multimodal route starting in the Italian southeastern ports in the Mediterranean and ending on the Bulgarian east coast on the Black Sea. Much of the rail part of the corridor, which will stretch from the Albanian ports of Durres and Vlore to the Bulgarian ports of Varna and Bugas is still under construction. For a total estimated investment of 2.1 billion euros only for Albania and North Macedonia, almost 600 kilometres of railways are planned for the route.