The main railway station in the Macedonian capital Skopje will be fully renovated by May, with better infrastructure and a new look. Irfan Asani, Infrastructure Director for Macedonian Railways, says that the planned investment will improve the technical standards of the station and make it more functional.
The project was prepared by the German Grontmij engineering company and it is expected to cost a total of EUR 2,9 million, provided by the European Union IPA program.
“This station, that was put in operation 33 years ago, was the most modern transportation center not only in Macedonia, but in the Balkans. It used to service 70 trains and 7.000 passengers daily, and its unique look represented the height of architecture at the time. But, since then, not a single investment was done to the station. Our current actions will help bring back its old glory”, Asani said, adding that special attention is being paid to the passengers with mobility issues.
The project will include building two new passenger elevators, a new elevator for persons with disabilities and for those with extra luggage and raising the existing sidewalks by the tracks by 55 centimeters so they are at the level of the railway cars. The station will get a new IT system, new loud-speakers, electronic entrance doors, improvements in the parking space, lighting and air conditioning and special signs for the blind.
