Makedonski Železnici (MŽ; mk, Македонски Железници (МЖ), "Macedonian Railways") is the public enterprise for railways in the

Republic of North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

. Railway operations are run by Železnici na Republika Severna Makedonija Transport and the infrastructure maintained by Makedonski Železnici Infrastruktura. The Republic of North Macedonia is a member of the

International Union of Railways The International Union of Railways (UIC, french: Union internationale des wikt:chemin de fer, chemins de fer) is an international rail transport industry body. History The railways of Europe originated as many separate concerns, and there wer ...

(UIC). The

UIC Country Code The UIC Country Code is a two digit-number identifying countries in which members of the International Union of Railways (UIC) are active. The UIC has issued numbering systems for rolling stock (UIC wagon numbers) and stations that include the coun ...

for the Republic of North Macedonia is 65. Macedonian Railways operates

rail tracks A railway track (British English and UIC terminology) or railroad track (American English), also known as permanent way or simply track, is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, railroad ties (sleepers, ...

in North Macedonia and maintains of lines, of which are

electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic history ...

with the

25 kV 50 Hz AC Railway electrification systems using alternating current (AC) at are used worldwide, especially for high-speed rail. It is usually supplied at the standard utility frequency (typically 50 or 60Hz), which simplifies traction substations. The dev ...

system.

Trains

Macedonian Railways Transport operates a large number of train sets, which consist of passenger trains (diesel and electric trains) and freight trains. A contract for the purchase of 6 new passenger train sets, manufactured by China's

CRRC Corporation CRRC Corporation Limited (known as CRRC) is a Chinese state-owned and publicly traded rolling stock manufacturer. It is the world's largest rolling stock manufacturer in terms of revenue, eclipsing its major competitors of Alstom and Siemens. It ...

at the

Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Works CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd. is one of the electric locomotive manufacturers in China. It is one of the subsidiaries of CRRC. History Predecessor Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Works was founded in 1936. CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd. O ...

, was signed in 2014. The first train-set arrived in August 2015. Each train consists of 3 rail cars, and is designed to carry 200 passengers. They will be used on routes from Skopje to

Bitola Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki ...

Gevgelija Gevgelija ( mk, Гевгелија; ) is a town with a population of 15,685 located in the very southeast of the North Macedonia along the banks of the Vardar River, situated at the country's main border with Greece (Bogorodica-Evzoni), the point ...

, Kičevo,

Kumanovo Kumanovo ( mk, Куманово ; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in North Macedonia and the seat of Kumanovo Municipality, the List of municipalities in the Republic of Macedonia by population, largest municipali ...

, and Veles.New Chinese Trains to Arrive in Macedonia in August
, July 7, 2015 This is the first time North Macedonia has bought new passenger trains since its independence, and the first time a Chinese EMU or DMU manufacturer has entered the European market.

Overview

The first standard gauge line in the area, from

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...

was built in 1873 during Ottoman rule. North Macedonia has a well-developed railroad system. It is connected to

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

via Volkovo in the northwest, to

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

via Tabanovci in the north and to

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

via

in the southeast and via

Kremenica Kremenica () is a settlement immediately southeast of Ig in central Slovenia. The entire Municipality of Ig is part of the traditional region of Inner Carniola. It is included in the Central Slovenia Statistical Region. Church The local churc ...

in the southwest. North Macedonia's main rail line between the Serbian and Greek borders, from Tabanovci to Gevgelija, is entirely electrified. The railway company has its headquarters in the capital Skopje. The original city railway station was partially destroyed in the 1963 earthquake and now houses the

Museum of the City of Skopje Museum of the City of Skopje ( mk, Музеј на Град Скопје) ( sq, Muzeu i Shkupit) is a cultural institution located in Skopje, North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), o ...

. The new principal railway station forms the upper level of the integrated

Transportation Center Skopje Transportation Center Skopje is the main city bus and railway station in the Republic of North Macedonia capital Skopje. It was built after the 1963 Skopje earthquake that destroyed the Original station buildings. The station is served by Long-dis ...

. All domestic lines are operated by Macedonian Railways, with links from Skopje to

Tetovo Tetovo ( mk, Тетово, , sq, Tetovë/Tetova) is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of at above sea level, w ...

Gostivar Gostivar ( mk, Гостивар , Albanian and Turkish: ''Gostivar''), is a city in North Macedonia, located in the upper Polog valley region. It is one of the largest municipalities in the country with a population of 81,042, and the town also ...

and Kicevo in the west, to Volkovo in the northwest, to

and Tabanovci in the north, to

Sveti Nikole Sveti Nikole ( mk, Свети Николе ; meaning ''Saint Nicholas''; rup, San Nicole) is a town in North Macedonia. It is the seat of Sveti Nikole Municipality and a center of a plain called Ovče Pole (''Plain of sheep''), famous for sheep ...

Štip Štip ( mk, Штип ) is the largest urban agglomeration in the eastern part of North Macedonia, serving as the economic, industrial, entertainment and educational focal point for the surrounding municipalities. As of the 2002 census, the city ...

, and Kocani in the east, to Veles,

Negotino Negotino ( mk, Неготино, ) is a town in North Macedonia, the seat of the Negotino Municipality. Its population is about 13,000. Geography Negotino is located on the right side of the river Vardar. It is about Above mean sea level, abov ...

and Gevgelija in the south - southeast and to

Bogomila Bogomila ( mk, Богомила) is a village in the municipality of Čaška, North Macedonia. It is located in the central part of the North Macedonia, close to the city of Veles and it used to be a municipality of its own. Bogomila is the birt ...

Prilep Prilep ( mk, Прилеп ) is the fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. It has a population of 66,246 and is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko. Name The name of Prilep appear ...

and

in the southwest. According to a local journalists' report dated 2011, passenger service within the country is quite slow, and trains and stations are often poorly maintained. Nonetheless, the inexpensive rail service is well patronized, and on occasions trains are standing-room only.

Rolling stock

Electric Locomotives

Diesel Locomotives

Electric Multiple Units

Diesel Multiple Units

International connections and services

The main north–south line from

Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...

to the port of

on the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek language, Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish language, Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It ...

( Corridor X), passes through Kumanovo, Skopje, Zelenikovo, Veles, Negotino,

Demir Kapija Demir Kapija ( mk, Демир Капија ) is a small town in North Macedonia, located near the ominous limestone gates of the same name. It has 3,725 inhabitants. The town is the seat of Demir Kapija Municipality. Etymology The name of the tow ...

, Miravci and

. Intercity trains link Kumanovo, Skopje, Zelenikovo, Veles, Negotino (

Kavadarci Kavadarci ( mk, Кавадарци ) is a town in the Tikveš region of North Macedonia. In the heart of North Macedonia's wine country, it is home to the largest winery in Southeast Europe, named after the Tikveš plain. The town of Kavadarci i ...

, Miravci (

Valandovo Valandovo ( mk, Валандово ) is a small town in southeastern North Macedonia. The city is the seat of Valandovo Municipality. History Ancient Period Evidence of life can be found beginning in the 10th-7th centuries B.C. There is a settle ...

) and Gevgelija (

Bogdanci Bogdanci ( mk, Богданци ) is a small town in North Macedonia, close to the border with Greece. It is located at around , and is the seat of Bogdanci Municipality. Location The space of the Gevgelian ravine that comprise the space of the B ...

) with

Serbian Railways Serbian Railways ( sr, Железнице Србије/''Železnice Srbije'', abbr. ŽS or ЖС) is a Serbian engineering and technical consulting company based in Belgrade, Serbia. In 2015, the Government of Serbia established three new compan ...

and Greek railways. Connections to

Bulgarian State Railways The Bulgarian State Railways ( bg, Български държавни железници, translit=Balgarski darzhavni zheleznitsi, abbreviated as БДЖ, BDZ or BDŽ) are Bulgaria's state railway company and the largest railway carrier in the co ...

are via Niš in Serbia and via Thessaloniki in Greece. Intercity trains from Kosovo Railways link Skopje with Pristina. In 2010, Makedonski Železnici joined

Cargo 10 Cargo 10 (or Cargo X) is a joint railway company set up by the national railway companies of Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia. The name is a reference to the Pan-European Corridor X. Cargo 10 aims to shorten the distance and increase efficiency of rail ...

, a joint venture with other railways in the region.

Plans

Corridor VIII

In the planning stage 2020 is a project to construct new rail links connecting to the existing east–west line ( Beljakovci,

and Kičevo): * An link in the East, from

to the Bulgarian border, which would connect North Macedonia to

Varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city in Bulgaria **Varna Province **Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna **Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis *Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy *Varniai, a city in Lithuania * Varna (Šaba ...

(

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

) and to the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

. * A link in the West, from Kičevo to the Albanian border, which would connect North Macedonia to

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...

(

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

) and to the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

Corridor X

The Ministry of Transport and Communication has begun studies for the renewal and reconstruction of several section of the corridor X: * Renewal and reconstruction of railway track on the section between

and

as a part of the Xd branch of Corridor X * Reconstruction of the railway section between

and Deljadrovci * Reconstruction of the railway section between Dračevo and Veles

References

External links

Macedonian RailwaysMacedonian Railways - InfrastructureMore information about the Macedonian RailwaysMacedonian passenger trains - photo gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Makedonski Zeleznici Railway companies of North Macedonia Companies of North Macedonia Brands of North Macedonia