Skopje's City Train Begins Service, Official Launch Today
The Zelenikovo-Skopje line started running September 1 with eight daily departures, though the schedule's real-world fit remains the true test.
Skopje officially has a city train as of yesterday, September 1 — the first line, between Zelenikovo and Skopje Railway Station, began running with eight departures daily in each direction. The official promotion of the full project is scheduled for today, Wednesday, the Ministry of Transport and Communications announced.
The trip on the line takes approximately 24 to 28 minutes, depending on the time slot, offering residents of Zelenikovo, Orešani, Dračevo, Lisiče and surrounding settlements an alternative daily route into the city center.
The Schedule as the Real Test
Launching service is only the first condition for the city train to genuinely become part of residents' daily lives. The second, and likely more important, is the schedule — it has morning and afternoon departures, but with longer gaps between certain time slots. The line's practical value will largely depend on how well the schedule fits with working hours, schools, universities and the rest of Skopje's public transport.
The "City Train" project is part of a broader plan to develop suburban rail transport meant to connect central Skopje with the Gorno Lisiče, Madžari, Skopje Sever and Gjorče Petrov neighborhoods, alongside the already-launched line toward Zelenikovo.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · September 2, 2026