Corridor 8 to be included in the priority Trans-European Transport Network

Sofia, Bulgaria (PortSEurope) December 6, 2022 - Corridor number 8 will become part of the priority Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The direction, Sofia (Bulgaria) - Skopje (North Macedonia) - Durres (Albania) – Bari (Italy), will be included in the new Western Balkans - Eastern Mediterranean Corridor, according to Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport. This means that railway, road and intermodal projects that pass through the territory of the countries and are part of the corridor will have easier access to European funds. On the territory of Bulgaria, these are the unrealised projects for the Black Sea highway (between the ports of Varna and Burgas) and the route between Gueshevo (on the border with North Macedonia) and Dupnitsa from the Rila highway, which have been stuck for years. Corridor 8 is the only transport corridor connecting the Balkans’ west and east coasts. The idea is to connect the ports of Durres (Durres) and Vlora in Albania and Burgas (Bourgas) and Varna in Bulgaria via Tirana, Skopje and Sofia (the capitals of Albania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria respectively). The railway line is for cargo that would come from the Italian ports of Bari, Brindisi and Otranto, and from Poti and Batumi in Georgia (with ferries across the Black Sea). Roads would shorten the 930 km trip from the Black to the Adriatic Sea from 12-13 hours to nine. The shortest route for Chinese cargo to Europe, passes through Corridor 8. Its construction will increase several-fold the flow of east-west cargo and countries on the way to China – Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are also interested. Part of this infrastructure already exists. In Bulgaria, the corridor will connect with the existing Trakia highway and Hemus highway that is still under construction, but there is no suitable road from Struma highway to North Macedonian border. The problem is the road from Sofia to Northern Macedonia – at the Gueshevo border checkpoint through Kyustendil and Dupnitsa. The Rila expressway (the connection between Trakia, Hemus and Struma) should be connected to it. The railway route needs work not only on the North Macedonian side of the border: connections like the one between Radomir in Bulgaria and the Macedonian border, in a difficult mountain section with a number of tunnels (longest will be 15 km) and protected areas, will take time. The plan for a common border tunnel between the two countries is also part of the railway project. Corridor VIII connects the Italian Adriatic Transport Corridor, the Adriatic branch of Motorway of the Sea and the Mediterranean Transport Area to the Black Sea Pan‐European Transport Areas. In the past year, Bulgaria, together with North Macedonia and Albania, have repeatedly defended the inclusion of the corridor in TEN-T. The various projects along the corridor are due to be completed between 2030 and 2035, with countries progressing differently. North Macedonia recently started the construction of the Eastern part of Corridor number 8. The European transport corridor Western Balkans - Eastern Mediterranean acquires a complete character and will be able to provide significant added value for the EU in the Western Balkans region, especially in the complex geopolitical situation we are in, Bulgaria’s acting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Hristo Alexiev said. A few weeks ago it was announced that the European Union (EU) is financing the modernization of Romania’s largest port of Constanta with 1 billion euros, and DP World will turn it into a Ro-Ro center on the Black Sea. In October an agreement was reached for the realization of the other priority corridor for Bulgaria - Sea2Sea with Greece. The preparation of a joint project proposal for exploratory activities for the construction of a Sea2Sea multimodal corridor under the Connecting Europe Facility, Transport sector 2021-2027 was agreed upon. Bulgaria also has proposals for the restoration of rail freight traffic between Bulgaria and Greece through the Svilengrad-Dikeia and Kulata-Promahon border points, as well as the start of talks with Romania to include in the project the port of Constanta. More detailed information about Corridor 8: Dnevnik: Why (pan-European) Corridor 8 has not connected the Balkans for three decades Where does TEN-T corridor VIII stans? Its future? Copyright (C) PortSEurope. All Rights Reserved. 2022.

Corridor 8 to be included in the priority Trans-European Transport Network

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Corridor 8 to be included in the priority Trans-European Transport Network

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