All North Macedonia articles
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NewsNorth Macedonia reverses rail market opening to save national operator
NORTH MACEDONIA: The government has cancelled the previous administration’s opening up of rail infrastructure access to private and foreign freight operators. Legal changes in December 2023 had opened access to the network. However, in September this year the current government reversed the liberalisation, with Minister of ...
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NewsJoint border crossing to speed up Balkan rail transport
EUROPE: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development and the European Union are to fund a joint border crossing on the Corridor X rail route between North Macedonia and Serbia. The new and upgraded facilities will be shared by the two countries, to improve efficiency, reduce ...
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NewsNext stage of Skopje – Sofia rail link financed
NORTH MACEDONIA: A €560m package of support for the construction a rail link between North Macedonia and Bulgaria has been announced by the EU, European Investment Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction & Development. The future route forming part of pan-European Corridor VIII will start at ...
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NewsNorth Macedonia and Serbia plan Skopje – Niš route upgrade
EUROPE: A memorandum of understanding for the planned upgrading of the 206 km Skopje – Niš route has been signed by officials from North Macedonia and Serbia. This is likely to include modernisation of the existing single-track route and eventually the construction of sections of ...
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NewsCeremony marks start of work on Skopje – Sofia link
NORTH MACEDONIA: A groundbreaking ceremony has been held to mark the start of civil works to complete the long-planned rail link between North Macedonia and Bulgaria.
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NewsContracts signed for next phase of North Macedonia – Bulgaria rail link
NORTH MACEDONIA: Contracts have been signed for work on two sections of the planned rail link between North Macedonia and Bulgaria, which will form part of Pan-European Corridor VIII from the Adriatic to the Black Sea. Austrian company Strabag has been awarded a €40m two-year contract ...
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NewsWestern Balkan railways need better integration and more maintenance, conference hears
EUROPE: Planned major projects, available financing mechanisms, and the need for international integration of railways including the expansion of the Trans-European Transport Network were discussed at the Connecting the Western Balkans to the EU rail market through investment and reform conference. The online event was ...
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NewsBulgaria, North Macedonia and Albania sign rail corridor memorandum
EUROPE: Ministers from Bulgaria, Albania and North Macedonia have signed a memorandum covering plans to complete the missing rail links between their countries by 2030, but cautioned that this will require signficant investment. Bulgaria is to complete the upgrading of the Sofia – Pernik – Radomir ...
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NewsConnecting Europe Express puts spotlight on Western Balkan rail vision
EUROPE: Welcoming the EU’s Connecting Europe Express to Beograd Centar on September 13, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić announced that her country’s rail investment programme would be worth up to €6bn and focus on ‘reconnecting’ the Western Balkan countries’ fragmented networks.
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NewsNorth Macedonia approves line towards the Albanian border
NORTH MACEDONIA: A proposal to extend the 103 km Skopje – Kičevo line 62·6 km southwards to Struga as the first phase of a railway corridor to Albania was appoved by the government on September 22. The Ministry of Finance will now seek €426m of funding from ...
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In depthNorth Macedonia: Creating a railway crossroads
Policymakers in North Macedonia are fostering enhanced links to neighbouring countries, while investment in Chinese rolling stock is improving the quality of local passenger and freight services. Žrsmt Director-General Orhan Murtezani and Fleet Director Petar Batalakov explain the national operator’s priorities to Toma Bačić.
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NewsEBRD funding for Macedonian railway project
MACEDONIA: An agreement providing a further €68·6m of European Union co-financing for the second phase of a planned rail link between Macedonia and Bulgaria was signed in Skopje on December 14. The latest grant will be used to co-finance the construction of the 34 km Beljakovce – Kriva Palanka section ...
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NewsTendering underway for Phase 2 of Macedonia – Bulgaria link
MACEDONIA: Companies have been invited to prequalify for a contract to complete Phase 2 of the planned rail link from Kumanovo to the Bulgarian border, which is being developed as part of Pan-European Corridor VIII from the Adriatic to the Black Sea. Phase 1 covers reinstatement of the 31 km ...
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NewsMacedonian operator orders Chinese locomotives
MACEDONIA: National freight and passenger operator MŽ Transport has awarded Chinese manufacturer CRRC Zhuzhou an €8m contract to supply four electric locomotives. Speaking at the signing ceremony on January 10, MŽ Transport CEO Nikola Kostov said the TSI-compliant 25 kV 50 Hz locomotives would offer European and world standards of ...
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NewsLoko Trans to develop Skopje rail hub
MACEDONIA: Czech freight operator and rolling stock maintenance company Loko Trans is to invest €20m to establish a logistics centre in Skopje to serve the Balkan region. This will include facilities for rolling stock maintenance and repair, as well as freight transhipment, warehousing and a customs office. Construction is expected ...
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NewsCRRC rolls out its first passenger train for Europe
MACEDONIA: Minister of Transport & Communications Minister Vlado Misajlovski visited Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive’s plant on July 7 to see the roll out of the first passenger trainsets to be produced by China’s CRRC for a European customer. Misajlovski said two 25 kV 50 Hz electric multiple-units are expected to arrive ...
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NewsMerMec awarded Macedonian ETCS contract
MACEDONIA: German engineering company Wiebe has awarded MerMec a contract to design, supply and commission signalling and telecoms for the rehabilitation of the 32 km Kumanovo – Beljakovtse line. The contract announced on April 24 includes the supply of electronic interlockings, centralised train control and ETCS Level 1 trackside equipment, ...
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NewsCSR Zhuzhou signs Macedonian multiple-unit contract
MACEDONIA: A contract for CSR Zhuzhou to supply four diesel and two electric multiple-units to national operator MZ Transport was signed in Skopje on June 24. Chinese rolling stock group CSR said the contract was its first to supply passenger rolling stock in Europe. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in ...
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NewsMacedonian railway reinstatement contract
MACEDONIA: Work is set to start in March to reinstate the 31 km Kumanovo – Beljakovce line as the initial phase of a long-planned railway between Kumanovo and Deve Bair on the Bulgarian border, after infrastructure manager MZ Infra and Wiebe signed a €39·8m contract during December. The route forms ...
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NewsSkopje calls tenders for tram line
MACEDONIA: The City of Skopje has launched a new tendering process for a public-private partnership concession to design, finance, build, operate and maintain a light rail line in the capital. The planned 12·1 km double-track Line 1 from Novo Lisice to Gjorce Petrov would require a minimum of 22 ...