By Train to the Black Sea by 2032? Nikoloski: Beljakovce–Kriva Palanka Is 40% Complete, and EU Grants Run to Hundreds of Millions of Euros
According to the minister, the Beljakovce–Kriva Palanka section will open next year, and a complete rail link from Skopje to the Black Sea and Odesa is expected by 2032.
Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski gave figures on Corridor 8 on Alfa TV’s “Kolegium” on October 13. The Beljakovce–Kriva Palanka section is about 40 percent complete and is expected to open next year. A complete rail link from Skopje to the Black Sea and Odesa, he said, is expected by 2032. A rail tunnel with Bulgaria is also planned, with Bulgaria building its side.
He also listed EU grants: €149 million for the first phase of the railway, about €30 million for the second phase now under way, €20 million for the motorway and €130 million for the Skopje–Blace section. These are the minister’s statements; no documents for the amounts are provided in the text.
What to read carefully: “40 percent complete” and “2032” are the minister’s estimates. The rail link depends on Bulgaria finishing its side of Corridor 8, and the text gives no deadlines for that.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 14, 2026
