North Macedonia is seeking EUR 426 million of funding from international financial institutions for a proposal to extend the 103km Skopje- Kicevo line, 62.6km southwards to the border near Albania, said exit.al on Thursday.
The proposal was approved by the government on 22 September and the Ministry of Finance will now seek investors, bilateral creditors, and grants to realise it. The single track line includes 4.5km of bridges and 12.4km of tunnels and can accommodate a maximum speed of 100km/h.
The project will be carried out in two phases, the first which will see the construction of the Kicevo-Struga section.
The connection is a part of the European transport corridor 8 that runs east-west through Southeast Europe and will eventually pass across the border to the village of Lin in Albania. Macedonian Railways Transport said the section is expected to be completed and operational by 2023.
The construction of parts of the Corridor 8 is being implemented under a memorandum of cooperation signed by Macedonian and Albanian railway companies, aiming to coordinate efforts in presenting joint projects to international financial institutions in the search for financing.
