MACEDONIA'S RAILWAYS ON THE BRINK OF COLLAPSE: 180 MILLION EUROS IN LOSSES, CRUMBLING TRACKS AND A CORRIDOR 8 SECTION 96% OVER COST

Macedonia's railways are facing a serious financial and infrastructure crisis, while the state keeps spending tens of millions of euros on projects that drag on unfinished for years. The latest reports from the State Audit Office reveal an alarming situation at both railway companies, with reported losses totalling around 180 million euros. The audit of the public enterprise Railways Infrastructure identifies around 50 critical locations on the rail network where, because of serious damage, trains are forced to crawl along at just 20 kilometres per hour. Worn-out wooden sleepers, landslides, rockfalls and unstable bridges are part of the daily reality of Macedonia's railway. Particularly worrying is the state of Corridor 10, one of the most important transport links between Macedonia, Serbia and Greece. The auditors also warn about the instability of the railway bridge near Stobi, whose structure has given way twice in the past six years. Even bigger questions are raised by the construction of Corridor 8. The Kumanovo - Beljakovce rail section, originally contracted for 39.7 million euros, has according to the auditors' data reached a value of 77.8 million euros - an increase of 96 percent. At the same time, the completion deadline has been extended by eight years and three months. Meanwhile, Railways Transport is running locomotives and carriages around four decades old, while its financial losses exceed 100 million euros. Railways Infrastructure links the responsibility to previous managements, but stresses that measures are being taken to improve the situation and speed up construction work. Still, the essential question remains: who takes responsibility for the years of lost time, the cost overruns and the decay of the railway infrastructure? While European countries build high-speed railways and modern transport corridors, Macedonia is still dealing with 20 km/h speed limits and projects that take decades to build. The railway isn't just a means of transport, it's a foundation for economic development, industry, trade and connection to European markets. Its decay is a direct blow to the competitiveness of the Macedonian economy. Macedonia cannot keep paying forever for promises, contract annexes and delays while the rail network keeps falling apart. The audit reports must become the basis for establishing concrete institutional and managerial accountability - not just one more document that ends up in the archives. METLA.MK - Public money under public scrutiny.