North Macedonia starts construction of rail link to Bulgaria

By KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES
Associated Press

SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — North Macedonia has begun building a railway linking it to Bulgaria. The project is part of Pan-European Corridor VIII, a route stretching about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) from the Albanian port of Durres in the west to the Bulgarian ports of Varna and Burgas in the east. Durres has sea connections to the Italian port of Bari. The prime ministers of North Macedonia and Bulgaria attended the groundbreaking ceremony Saturday near the city of Kumanovo, affirming their commitment that the rail link between the two neighbors will be completed by 2030.