Skopje's city train, a project talked about for years, finally has a date - at least partly. From September 1, 2026, the first line will start running, Miladinovci - Transport Centre, with a promise that sounds almost unbelievable for Skopje's traffic chaos: a 18-minute trip instead of the current 65 by bus.

The trains will have 174 seats each and run every 15 minutes at peak hours, and every 40 minutes off-peak - 18 departures a day in total in both directions. According to the director of passenger transport, the rail system is „three times faster than bus transport" and has „four times the capacity." On paper, that's exactly what overloaded Skopje has been asking for over decades.

The system will use the existing rail infrastructure, with no new stations at the start - though the study mentions the possibility of two or three in the future. The full network of three lines is expected to be operational by the end of 2027. The ticket price has not yet been set and will be determined in coordination between the City and the Ministry of Transport.

The idea is excellent and long overdue - but Skopje is a city of delayed infrastructure projects and grand openings that never turn into a regular service. „Partly operational from September" is a promise worth something only if the train actually leaves on September 1 and keeps running on December 1 too. Until then, skepticism isn't cynicism - it's experience.