From Tuesday, 1 September, the first line of the "City Train" project in Skopje begins running. Zelenikovo - Skopje Railway Station, eight departures a day in each direction, with the journey taking between 24 and 28 minutes.

The train stops at Zelenikovo Novo, Oreshani, Jane Sandanski, Drachevo and Lisiche. The first departure from Zelenikovo is at 6:20, then 8:30, 12:26, 14:00, 16:25, 18:30, 20:12 and 21:55. From Skopje towards Zelenikovo the first train leaves at 5:32, followed by 7:30, 11:40, 13:20, 15:42, 17:45, 19:12 and 20:56. The timetable runs from 1 September to 31 December.

Twenty-four minutes against the morning queue

That is where the value of the number sits. Anyone who commutes into Skopje from that side every day knows how long the same route takes by car in the morning rush - and knows that 24 minutes by train, guaranteed, is a different category of life.

The line is the first practical phase of the urban rail transport project. In recent months construction work was carried out on the Skopje-Veles line, which is why part of the summer brought temporary changes to rail traffic. That means this time there is actually completed work behind the announcement - not just a press conference with a scale model.

The biggest test remains, and it is not a technical one. Eight departures a day means there is not a single train between 8:30 and 12:26 - almost four hours of nothing in the middle of the working day. For someone working in Skopje on flexible hours or an afternoon shift, that timetable does not cover everything.

The timetable runs to 31 December, and the authorities say they will monitor passenger interest. That is a formulation that can mean expansion, but equally a quiet shutdown if the numbers disappoint. The railway in this country has a long history of lines introduced ceremonially and cancelled without a statement.

If the line really works, the effect will not be measured only in passengers. It will also be measured in how many fewer cars enter along the same route every morning - and whether anyone will bother to publish that figure when it is time to assess it.