Serbia and North Macedonia push ahead with fast railway to Greece

Serbia's Ministry of Environmental Protection has issued an official notification on a joint project to modernise the railway corridor (Corridor 10) through North Macedonia. The plan calls for a new 195‑km, electrified, double‑track line capable of 160 km/h for passenger trains and 120 km/h for freight, linking Belgrade with Thessaloniki and ultimately Athens.

Key works include the construction of 19 new tunnels totalling 19 km, the abandonment of six existing tunnels that do not meet EU standards, and 59 new structures such as bridges and overpasses between Skopje and Đevđelija. A rail connection to Skopje airport is also slated. The upgrade is coordinated with Serbia’s parallel projects on the Belgrade‑Niš and Niš‑Brestovac sections, and documentation is under preparation for the Brestovac‑Preševo stretch.

Officials anticipate that the fully operational high‑speed link, which will speed passenger travel to a few hours between Belgrade and Thessaloniki and boost freight flows from Greek ports to Central Europe, could be in service by 2031.