Skopje, 30 September 2025 (MIA) - If everything goes according to plan on both sides, by 2031 or 2032 it should be possible to travel by train from Skopje to Burgas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski told journalists Tuesday.

At a promotional event for Orce Gjorgjievski, VMRO-DPMNE's mayoral candidate for Skopje, Nikoloski said he would sign the agreement for a joint construction of the cross-border railway tunnel with Bulgaria on November 4, after the local elections.

“In June, we met with the [Bulgarian] Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport [Grozdan] Karadzhov. It was a useful, constructive meeting where for the first time after almost a year we sat down to assess the real issues which are of an engineering nature, and not political. Given that the meeting was technical and focused on topics that aren’t related to politics – because building a railway is not politics – we quickly found a solution,” Nikoloski said.

According to the Deputy PM, it has been agreed for the country to construct the third stage of the railway to Bulgaria. The first, he noted, has already been constructed, while the second stage is currently under construction.

“Bulgaria has taken on its responsibilities, which include investing EUR 1.5 billion in the construction, reconstruction, and upgrade of the railway line from Sofia through Pernik to Gyueshevo, and building the section from Gyueshevo to the border. There are already tenders for the section from Gyueshevo to the border, and what remains is the tunnel which, unfortunately, was previously only half-designed, now it will be fully designed. For that, an agreement between the countries must be signed. After the elections, once these restrictions are lifted, we will sign it,” Nikoloski said.

The Deputy PM also said the Government has approved work on corrections on the third stage of the construction of the railway, stressing he hopes there will be a railway connection between Skopje and Sofia and the port of Burgas in a few years.

“If everything goes according to plan on both sides, by 2031 or 2032 it should be possible to travel by train from Skopje to Burgas,” Nikoloski stressed.

MIA file photo