Skopje, 7 October 2022 (MIA) – Construction works on the first two sections of the Corridor 8 railway – from Kumanovo to Beljakovce and from Beljakovce to Kriva Palanka, will be officially marked on October 29, 2022. The expropriation of the land has finished and all the necessary funds for the construction activities have been secured, construction is expected to finish by the end of 2025, said Railway Infrastructure director Hari Lokvenec on Friday. Lokvenec told a press briefing that the 31-kilometer long Kumanovo-Beljakovce section will be built by the “Strabag” consortium, consisting of companies from several countries. The project time determined for this section is 24 months, however, he said, the company has committed to finish construction in 18 months. The second section will be built by Turkish “Gülermak” and the projected time of completion for this project is 36 months. Both companies will launch preparatory activities on October 18. “This means that by the end of 2025 we will have finished the two sections of the railway to Bulgaria,” said Lokvenec, adding that 54 percent of the first section are already finished. Concerning the third section, from Kriva Palanka to the border with Bulgaria, Lokvenec informed that the drafting of the tender documentation is in its final stage, and it should be published by the beginning of 2023 at the latest, and the contractor will be chosen towards the end of 2023, when construction activities are expected to begin as well. “The projected completion time of this section is four years and I assure you this is not a question of whether we can do it. Because of the EU’s conditions and because of the necessity to demonstrate our capacity, we must begin the construction of this section towards the end of 2023. Taking into account the projected completion time, we should have a fully constructed railway to Bulgaria by the end of 2027. According to the projections of our Bulgarian colleagues they should finish construction by 2027, which means that we complement each other in the realization of this significant infrastructure project,” said Lokvenec. He is certain that deadlines will be respected, since all of the prerequisites have been met – firstly, the funds have been secured, with the help of the EU as well as the European BAnk for Reconstruction nd Development (EBRD). Secondly, according to Lokvenec, all the relevant state institutions have confirmed that along the route of the railway there are no large archaeological sites or necropolises which might slow down the construction of the project. “And the third and most important aspect – the expropriation. I can inform the Macedonian public that Railway Infrastructure has entirely completed the expropriation process and this will not be an issue in the realization of the project. And finally, I am also sure that the companies which we have chosen are up to the task and ready to complete this project,” said Lokvenec, adding that 1,500 expropriation cases have been solved for the first two sections of the railway. He announced that on October 11, for the first time as the representatives of a country which is not an EU member state, Railway Infrastructure will have the chance to present the Macedonian railway infrastructure projects in front of the Members of the European Parliament. “We will promote the work we have completed thus far, but also talk about all future plans aimed at fulfilling the European railway infrastructure strategy,” said Lokvenec. Regarding the western wing of Corridor 8 towards Albania, the 63-kilometer long Kichevo-Lin section, Lokvenec underlined that because of remarks from UNESCO, there will be changes in the route towards Lin, due to potential threats to Lake Ohrid. Because of its strategic importance, the expectations are that the section will be completed by 2030, and that out of the EUR 530 million necessary for its construction, 50 percent will be secured through an EU grant. “With the completion of the western wing, we would complete the entirety of Corridor 8 which is of crucial importance to our country because by connecting Durrës on the Adriatic, Burgas and Varna on the Black Sea, we are building the continental Bosporus in the Balkans and in Europe. Additionally, by completing our part of Corridor 8, we are contributing towards the creation of a corridor connecting three NATO countries, and another more important thing, through this corridor we are also participating in the promotion of the European Green Agenda, because trains are the least polluting means of transport which is of crucial importance at this moment,” said Lokvenec. He also emphasized the importance of North Macedonia joining the “Three Seas” initiative. “North Macedonia and Albania are the only ones missing from the 'Three Seas' initiative, an initiative which aims to connect the Baltic Sea with the Adriatic and the Black Sea. By joining this initiative, we demonstrate that not only are we geographically part of the EU, but also that we have the capacity to stand side by side with our European allies and participate in the realization of all the projects planned by the EU,” said Lokvenec. The project for the railway to Bulgaria began in 1994, and construction was halted for the first time in 2004. Construction resumed a decade later, in March 2014, but the 2016 completion deadline was not met, due to, according to official explanations, problems of legal nature related to property ownership. There have been no ground activities since June 2020, when German contractor “Wiebe” unilaterally terminated the contract. In January 2021, EBRD announced a tender for the selection of contractors to work on the railway, and the procedure was completed in July 2022 when contracts were signed with “Strabag” and “Gülermak”. Included in the tender is also the contract for reconstruction of the 31-kilometer long Nogaevci – Negotino railway as part of Corridor 10, “Strabag” was selected as the contractor for this EUR 4,8 million investment. The total finances behind the three contracts amount to more than EUR 200 million. ad/ik/