Skopje, 7 November 2025 (MIA) – It will take 25 minutes to get from the railway station in Zelenikovo to the Skopje Railway Station and some 13 minutes from the railway station in Drachevo to Skopje after the 25-km rail track is overhauled as part the first stage of the City Train project, Sinisha Ivanovski, director of the public company Railways Infrastructure, announced Friday after overseeing renovation works alongside Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski and the new Mayor of Skopje, Orce Gjorgjievski.

The 7.7-km section from Drachevo to Ilinden, which will be used exclusively for freight transport, is also being renovated, said Ivanovski.

Works on the two sections are expected to be completed in six months. The contract for the overhaul of the Drachevo-Ilinden section is worth three million euros, according to Ivanovski, and the reconstruction of the tracks from Zelenikovo to the Skopje Railway Station will cost 5.7 million euros.

“The first stage of the City Train project, some 24.5 kilometres long, will be completed in six months the most, and the second section from Drachevo to Ilinden, exclusively for freight transport, which is 7.7 kilometres long, will be done by the end of the year because it’s shorter. This means both sections will be put in operation in six months the most. Both of them are electrified because trains running on diesel will not enter Skopje with the City Train,” stated Ivanovski.

There are seven railway stations along this section, he added, where passengers will get on board to get to downtown Skopje in the most efficient and environmentally friendly way.

The City of Skopje will be at disposal logistically in the process, announced Mayor Gjorgjievski.

“What seemed like a dream, today it’s becoming reality – we’re starting to offer an alternative to our citizens in Skopje since they have been experiencing recently a disastrous situation caused by the Skopje Public Transport Enterprise being fully out of service,” he stated.

Echoing the same sentiment, Deputy PM and Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski said the vision for a City Train is becoming a reality. With the Drachevo – Zelenikovo section being renovated, freight transport will increase, according to him.

In addition to reducing traffic congestion, the projects also aim at cutting the emission of harmful particles in the air, said PM Mickoski.  

“When it comes to air quality, we’ve said miracles are impossible because it takes time. But this is one of the projects that contributes to that. I’m very pleased we are kicking off the BRT system, although we are yet to see how it is going to be designed. Once we finish all these projects, I’m sure they will have positive effects on the environment to reduce pollution throughout the year,” Mickoski said.

Ivanovski also announced that the second section of the City Train project, from Volkovo to the Skopje Railway Station, will be reconstructed and the Miladinovci-Ilinden-Skopje section will be overhauled in 2027.

Photo: government