Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications

Bulgaria is committed to build the railway line up to the Macedonian border. This was made clear during a meeting between the Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications, Petar Kirov, his Macedonian counterpart Elena Kouzmanovska, and Alexandra Garnier, Director at DG Enlargement of the European Commission. The expressed position and support would allow for the Macedonian side to benefit from financing under the pre-accession programmes.

Deputy Minister Kirov said that the works on the territory of Bulgaria will start in parallel to the construction of the section Kriva Palanka – the border, which is to be completed by 2022-2023. “In the 2014-2020 programming period the project for the section Radomir – Giueshevo from the Bulgarian part will be prepared”, added Mr. Kirov.  In his words the progress on the territory of Macedonia will be periodically monitored. In the course of the project implementation, the Bulgarian party will seek financing opportunities under Connecting Europe Facility so as to start the construction before 2020.

The two parties shared the view that the construction of a railway connection between Bulgaria and Macedonia is of paramount importance for the economic development of both countries. “The on-going construction works in the Macedonian part are crucial and promising in light of the achievement of the long-standing ambition of both countries to connect Sofia and Skopje by rail”, added Petar Kirov. In his view a coordinated approach has to be adopted when implementing the project, while sticking to a common position before the European institutions and continuing the regular exchange of information on the envisaged and on-going activities.

In the construction of the railway line in the Bulgarian part a modernization of the two major lines Sofia-Pernik-Radomir and Radomir-Giueshevo is envisaged. Currently they are at the stage of preparation of the feasibility studies. From the station of Giueshevo to the Macedonian border there is a 2.5 km section missing, whose construction will be carried out with own contribution to the financing and will depend on the progress of the construction works on the territory of Macedonia.