Skopje, 23 December 2023 (MIA) – The tender for the selection of a contractor for the construction of the third section of the Corridor VIII railway to Bulgaria, from Kriva Palanka to the Bulgarian border has been published. The process for the selection of a supervising engineer and technical consultant is underway as well.

The new railway section is projected to be 23.4 kilometers long, and include 22 tunnels, 52 bridges, as well as railway stations near Kriva Palanka and the village of Zhidilovo.

“In the first quarter of 2024 a technical consultant is expected to be selected, as well as a supervising engineer in the second quarter. The tender procedure for the selection of a contractor is expected to conclude in the third quarter of 2024. On the basis of this dynamic, the activities on the ground would begin in 2025,” the Railway Infrastructure Public Enterprise told MIA.

The expropriation procedure for the section is underway, with 60 percent of land expropriated, mainly in rural areas.

Funds in the amount of EUR 560 million have been secured for the railway section through a EUR 61 million grant from the IPA funds, EUR 149 million from the Western Balkans Investment Framework and two loans, each worth EUR 175 million, from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank

Construction on the two sections of the eastern part of the Corridor VIII railway, the Kumanovo – Beljakovce and Beljakovce – Kriva Palanka, is expected to continue in the coming year. The Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Railway Infrastructure Public Enterprise said construction works on these sections of the railway are moving along in line with the plans of the contractors.

Over 45 percent of the Kumanovo – Beljakovce section have been constructed so far, and at this pace the Ministry expects the section to be open for traffic in October 2024.

“On the second section [of the railway], from Beljakovce to Kriva Palanka, the progress of construction is over 18 percent. The contractor for this section overcame all challenges and based on the agreed deadline, we expect the section to be complete in February 2026,” the Ministry of Transport and Communications told MIA.

Around EUR 200 million have been invested in the first two sections of the railway.

The total length of the three projected sections of the eastern wing of the Corridor VIII railway stands at 89 kilometers.