The Skopje Railway Station, which has been synonymous with neglect for decades, is finally being cleaned up. The director of PE „Macedonian Railways - Infrastructure", Sinisha Ivanovski, announced that an action has begun to restore the building's representative appearance - and this is the first time in the past 15-20 years that an official has taken responsibility for it.

Step one: removing billboards and illuminated advertising. Of all the advertising surfaces that have grown up over the years without any plan, only one remains - on „Hamza Doner", who is refusing to take it down himself. Ivanovski sets an ultimatum: 7 days, or the lease is terminated. It sounds like a small thing - but for the brutalist visual mess of the station, the advertising billboards are a symbol of political absence.

Step two: general hygiene. Inside and out. That means removing graffiti, dust, illegal posters, and an overall swap of neglected zones for clean, functional spaces.

The third step is the most ambitious: a full reconstruction. Ivanovski confirms they are working with the Faculty of Architecture on the project, and with the Institute for Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology (IZIIS) on checking the structure. The brutalist building, constructed after the 1963 earthquake (with Japanese architect Kenzo Tange as part of the urban plan), is protected as cultural heritage. Which means the reconstruction cannot simply tear it down and build something new.

Pure cleaning will not be enough. The station has 60 years of structural challenges. IZIIS will determine what can stay, what must be replaced, and how much it will cost. That is why this action, if taken seriously, will take 2-3 years.

Additionally: transport minister Aleksandar Nikoloski announced last week that the first line of the „City Train" project should be launched in September of this year - running from Zelenikovo via Drachevo, Kisela Voda and the Airport to Skopje Railway Station. If that line actually starts running, the Railway Station once again becomes a significant transport hub - and the reconstruction takes on new meaning.

The question for travelling readers: is the „City Train" really ready for a September launch, or is this another date that will slip? Only 4 months remain until then. When we see test trains with people on board, then we can believe.