Skopje, 26 September 2025 (MIA) - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski said the construction of a high-speed railway in Macedonia will be the most significant infrastructure project for all of Southeast Europe, as it will bring enormous economic benefits to the region and will significantly reduce travel time from Skopje to Thessaloniki and Athens.

"After a long period of time, we are in talks with Greece about connections, about the economy, business. The high-speed railway, as much as it is a benefit for Macedonia, is much more of a benefit for Greece, especially since it will completely open the Thessaloniki and Athens ports to Central Europe. The construction of a high-speed railway, on which cargo trains will travel at 120 km/h, will increase the current EUR 12 million in income of the two Macedonian railway companies to 120 million as early as in the first year after its construction. The same will apply to Greek ports, which will completely change the economy of this entire region," said Nikoloski.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the Greek authorities have agreed to start building a double-track railway from Thessaloniki to Gevgelija next year, and the directors of the railway companies of the two countries are aligning the technical details.

"This will mean that travel from Skopje to Thessaloniki will take 1 hour and 20 minutes, and no more than 4 hours to Athens, and I believe that this will completely change the way of life in this part of Europe. So, the high-speed railway will become the most important economic-infrastructure project for the whole of Southeast Europe," Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski noted.

As regards the construction of the Skopje-Blace highway, he said he expected construction to begin by early next year.

"That project is being implemented with the support of the EBRD. The deadline for submitting bids expires on September 30. We will see the bids and together with the EBRD we will make a selection. Depending on the number of bids, I expect the contractor to be put into operation between the end of November and the beginning of January, depending on weather conditions. The construction deadline is three years from the start of activities, which means that there will be a highway by the beginning of 2029," said Deputy Prime Minister Nikoloski. 

Photo: MIA