Bulgaria and North Macedonia signed an agreement on November 6, 2025 to build a 2.4-km railway tunnel between Gyueshevo and Deve Bair — a long-planned missing link on Pan-European Corridor VIII.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Bulgaria and North Macedonia to build a railway tunnel on Corridor VIII
Photo: European Union

The railway tunnel will link the Black and Adriatic seas

For shippers and travelers alike, the route matters: Corridor VIII connects the port of Varna on the Black Sea with Durrës on the Adriatic. In practice, the tunnel removes the last hard barrier on the Sofia–Skopje axis.

Don’t miss…UPMRC awards $18.5 m contract to modernize Kanpur Metro Corridor-2

Officials frame it as a pragmatic step backed by EU programs and national budgets; after years of studies, the paperwork finally meets the tracks. As one transport planner put it, “this is the last missing piece.”

The corridor’s rail spine stretches roughly 1,350 km, including 747 km across Bulgaria — a figure that hints at the project’s scale. North Macedonia’s role is pivotal, and the cross-border engineering will test teams on both sides.

The railway tunnel and the Sofia–Skopje connection: from segments to a line

North Macedonia opened the 30.8 km Kumanovo–Beljakovce section in January 2025; contractors are now building 34 km from Beljakovce to Kriva Palanka, with completion slated for October 2026. Meanwhile, crews have begun works on the mountainous stretch toward Deve Bair.

Bulgaria upgrades the Sofia–Gyueshevo line to meet the tunnel at the border; together, these segments create a continuous path. So travel times should fall, and freight timetables can finally be planned with fewer detours — and fewer trucks.

For many businesses, the implications are concrete: more predictable schedules, lower handling costs, and a new competitive option against road. Still, success will depend on steady funding, timely signaling works, and customs coordination that matches the new capacity.

News on railway transport, industry, and railway technologies from Railway Supply that you might have missed:

Don’t miss…Amtrak Pacific Surfliner Adds Extra Trains and Free Bags for the Holidays

Find the latest news of the railway industry in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and the rest of the world on our page on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, read Railway Supply magazine online.

Place your ads on webportal and in Railway Supply magazine. Detailed information is in Railway Supply media kit