Orient/East-Med Corridor: North Macedonia – Bulgaria CVIII Rail Interconnection, Kriva Palanka – Border with Bulgaria Section

The eastern segment of Rail Corridor VIII, from Kumanovo to the border with Bulgaria, is part of the indicative extension of the TEN-T Core Net-work to the Western Balkans.

This investment project will construct 23.4 km of railroad, the last stretch of the interconnection, and install electrification systems on the entire railway line. The investments will create more than 200 new jobs, significantly decrease the travel time from Skopje to Sofia, and increase the annual freight volume. This will allow for modal shift, reducing air and noise pollution, and improve trade flows with economies in the region and with the EU

The EU has provided technical assistance for project preparation and co-funds the investments under Flagship 1 - Connecting East to West - of the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans through the WBIF.