Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport of the Republic of North Macedonia Aleksandar Nikoloski today signed an Agreement on the Construction of the Railway Tunnel under Deve Bair, which will provide the physical connection between the two countries along the Sofia–Skopje axis.
The event took place in the presence of the ambassadors of EU and NATO member states, who travelled to Gyueshevo by the “Corona Express” train together with the Bulgarian government delegation.
Deputy Prime Minister Karadjov emphasised that today’s event “revives a vision more than a century old – the railway link between Sofia and Skopje,” whose first design dates back to 1897.
He recalled that in 1942 the line reached Gyueshevo but remained incomplete due to wars and political divisions, adding that “today Bulgaria and North Macedonia share the responsibility to finish what was started”.
Minister Karadjov explained that the railway section of Corridor VIII has a total length of around 1,350 km, of which 747 km are on Bulgarian territory, and that only the final 2.4-kilometre cross-border section between Gyueshevo and Deve Bair remains to be constructed in Bulgaria.
“Bulgaria is undertaking the largest share of the route – both in distance and in investment. And we are doing so because this line is strategic for the region, for the European Union, and for NATO,” Karadjov stated.
He noted that the railway along this corridor forms part of Southeast Europe’s transport security and contributes to the connectivity of the Alliance’s south-eastern flank.
During the event, Minister Karadjov stressed the importance of the two countries working together in a spirit of respect and mutual trust. He described Gyueshevo Station – the westernmost and highest railway station in Bulgaria – as “the place from which Bulgaria looks westward with hope, but also with expectation.”
He added: “People will judge us not by our words, but by our actions – by whether we will complete, together, what was once begun”.
The signing of the agreement for the Deve Bair Tunnel marks a historic step towards the full completion of Corridor VIII and towards genuine railway connectivity between Bulgaria and North Macedonia – a project of significance not only for the two countries, but also for the stability, security and economic development of the entire region.
