Faster rail trip to Bulgaria moves ahead, but tunnel has no construction date yet

Bulgaria and North Macedonia have agreed to press forward faster with a planned cross-border railway tunnel linking the two countries. At the second meeting of their Joint Committee, held in Skopje on 25 September, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to accelerating the procedures needed to move the project ahead.

Key facts

• Second Joint Committee meeting held in Skopje on 25 September 2026
• Tunnel would form part of Corridor VIII, linking Black Sea and Adriatic ports
• Agreement on preparing, building and operating the tunnel signed in November 2025 at Gyueshevo railway station
• Project is part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and has European Union financial support
• Work plan to be sent to the European Commission, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
• No construction start date or opening date has been announced

What was decided?

Bulgaria's Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, Tsveta Timeva, said her country is ready to lead the necessary procedures under Bulgarian and European legislation and to give the project a strong impetus.

North Macedonia's Deputy Minister of Transport, Kaltrina Zekoli Shakiri, welcomed the progress made and the cooperation between the two countries. The North Macedonian side also restated its commitment to speeding up the procedures and pointed to support from the European Union and financial institutions for funding the tunnel.

Why does the tunnel matter?

The cross-border tunnel is a key element of Corridor VIII, which connects Black Sea ports with those on the Adriatic and helps link European transport routes with trade flows between Europe and Asia. Once completed, the tunnel is expected to carry both passenger and freight rail traffic.

What has happened so far?

The two countries signed an agreement on the preparation, construction and operation of the tunnel in November 2025 at Gyueshevo railway station, on their shared border. The project forms part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), with the European Union providing financial support.

The Joint Committee held its first meeting in Sofia earlier this summer, where it approved its rules of procedure and an indicative timetable for preparing and building the tunnel. Financing options were also discussed, and the work plan was to be submitted to the European Commission, the EIB and the EBRD.

What this means for travellers

There is no immediate change for travellers: the source gives no construction start date, no cost and no opening date for the tunnel. Anyone using rail links between Bulgaria and North Macedonia should not expect the new route to open in the near term.

Bulgaria has announced a regional meeting on connectivity for 2027, which the source notes could serve as a platform for presenting infrastructure projects.