The ministers of transport of Bulgaria and North Macedonia signed an agreement to build a railway tunnel under the Deve Bair mountain, laying the foundations for the first railway border crossing between them. “The signing of the agreement for the tunnel under Deve Bair is a historic step towards the full construction of Corridor VIII”, the Bulgarian ministry said.
The future tunnel, which will measure around 2,4 kilometres, will be part of the Skopje-Sofia line. It will connect Gyueshevo (BG) to Deve Bair (MK) and should be ready by 2028 with an investment of 69 million euros, according to estimates made last summer. A conversation about creating a railway connecting the two countries has been ongoing since the end of the 19th century. Is this the time when it finally becomes reality?
Corridor VIII
The future Skopje-Sofia section, including the cross-border tunnel, will be part of Corridor VIII. This will be a sea-rail multimodal route starting in the Italian southeastern ports in the Mediterranean and ending on the Bulgarian east coast on the Black Sea. The rail network in Bulgaria is already present, while the sections in North Macedonia and Albania are still largely under construction.
The Bulgarian ministry also emphasised how this corridor will be vital not only as a trade lane between the Mediterranean and Black Seas, but also for Europe’s security. “The railway along this axis is part of the transport security of Southeast Europe and the connectivity of the Alliance along its southeastern flank”, it said in a press release.