North Macedonia Rail Pass - North Macedonia Rail PassesNorth Macedonia Rail Pass - North Macedonia Rail Passes North Macedonia is officially the Republic of North Macedonia. Macedonia is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. North Macedonia is a landlocked country bordering with Kosovo to the northwest. Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south, and Albania to the west. It constitutes approximately the northern third of the larger geographical region of Macedonia. Skopje, the capital and largest city, is home to a quarter of the country's 1.83 million population. The majority of the residents are ethnic Macedonians, a South Slavic people. Albanians form a significant minority at around 25%, followed by Turks, Romani, Serbs, Bosniaks, Aromanians and a few other minorities. Train travel is an excellent way to explore the Balkan country of North Macedonia. Your Eurail Pass gives you the freedom to visit the warm and welcoming capital of Skopje, and hike the splendid peaks of the many mountains. Visit the mind-blowing Ohrid Lake and experience the untouched landscape of Macedonia. North Macedonia has a rich cultural heritage in art, architecture, poetry and music. It has many ancient, protected religious sites. Poetry, cinema, and music festivals are held annually. Macedonian music styles developed under the strong influence of Byzantine church music. North Macedonia has a significant number of preserved Byzantine fresco paintings, mainly from the period between the 11th and 16th centuries. There are several thousands of square metres of fresco painting preserved, the major part of which is in very good condition and represent masterworks of the Macedonian school of ecclesiastical painting. The most important cultural events in the country are the Ohrid Summer festival of classical music and drama, the Struga Poetry Evenings which gather poets from more than 50 countries in the world, International Camera Festival in Bitola, Open Youth Theatre and Skopje Jazz Festival in Skopje. Every year in May The National Opera has Opera Evenings that are held in Skopje for around 20 nights. Tourism plays a significant role in the economy of North Macedonia accounting for 6.7% of its GDP in 2016. The annual income from tourism was estimated at 38.5 billion denars (€616 million) in that year. Following its independence the number of foreign visitors has been on the rise. In 2019, North Macedonia received 1,184,963 tourist arrivals out of which 757,593 were foreign. Most numerous are tourists from Turkey, neighboring Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria, Poland and other countries of Western Europe. The biggest bulk of tourists, approximately 60% of the million tourists that visited the country in 2017, were situated in Skopje and the southwestern region of the country. The most significant tourism branches are lake tourism as there are three lakes in Ohrid, Prespa and Dojran and over 50 small glacial lakes of variable sizes. Mountainous tourism as there are 16 mountains higher than 2,000 metres. Other forms of tourism also include rural and ecotourism, city tourism and cultural tourism, represented through gastronomy, traditional music, cultural celebrations and cultural heritage sites. North Macedonia is located as continental country in the middle of the Balkan peninsula, and the main transport links in the country are those that connect the different parts of the peninsula (transbalkan links). Particularly important is the connection between north–south and Vardar valley, which connects Greece with the rest of Europe. North Macedonia (along with Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo) belongs to the less-developed southern region of the former Yugoslavia. Its main land and rail exports route, through Serbia, remains unreliable with high transit costs, thereby affecting the export of its formerly highly profitable, early vegetables market to Germany. Makedonski Železnici or MŽ or Македонски Железници or МЖ or Macedonian Railways is the public enterprise for railways in the Republic of North Macedonia. Macedonian Railways operations are run by Železnici na Republika Severna Makedonija Transport and the infrastructure maintained by Makedonski Železnici Infrastruktura. North Macedonia has a well-developed railroad system. It is connected to Kosovo via Volkovo in the northwest, to Serbia via Tabanovci in the north and to Greece via Gevgelija in the southeast and via Kremenica in the southwest. North Macedonia's main rail line between the Serbian and Greek borders, from Tabanovci to Gevgelija, is entirely electrified. The Macedonian Railways company has its headquarters in the capital Skopje. The original city railway station was partially destroyed in the 1963 earthquake and now houses the Museum of the City of Skopje. The new principal railway station forms the upper level of the integrated Transportation Center Skopje. All domestic lines are operated by Macedonian Railways, with links from Skopje to Tetovo, Gostivar and Kicevo in the west, to Volkovo in the northwest, to Kumanovo and Tabanovci in the north, to Sveti Nikole, Štip, and Kocani in the east, to Veles, Negotino and Gevgelija in the south - southeast and to Bogomila, Prilep and Bitola in the southwest. Macedonian Railways passenger services within the country is quite slow, and trains and stations are often poorly maintained. Nonetheless, the inexpensive rail service is well patronized, and on occasions trains are standing-room only. Macedonian Railways Transport operates a large number of train sets, which consist of passenger trains (diesel and electric trains) and freight trains. Macedonian Railways maintains 925 km (575 mi) of lines, 315 km (196 mi) of which are electrified. Operated by Makedonski Železnici, the most important railway line is the line on the border with Serbia–Kumanovo–Skopje–Veles–Gevgelija–border with Greece. Since 2001, the railway line Beljakovci has been built to the border with Bulgaria, which will get a direct express train connection Skopje-Sofia. The most important railway hub in the country is Skopje, while the other two are Veles and Kumanovo. Macedonian Railways has purchased of 6 new passenger train sets, manufactured by China's CRRC Corporation. The first train-set arrived in August 2015. Each train consists of 3 rail cars, and is designed to carry 200 passengers. They will be used on routes from Skopje to Bitola, Gevgelija, Kičevo, Kumanovo, and Veles. This is the first time North Macedonia has bought new passenger trains since its independence. International Connections and Services The main north–south line from Niš in Serbia to the port of Thessaloniki in Greece on the Aegean Sea (Corridor X), passes through Kumanovo, Skopje, Zelenikovo, Veles, Negotino, Demir Kapija, Miravci and Gevgelija. Macedonian Railways Long Term Plans Corridor VIII
Corridor X
As far as water transport is concerned, only lake traffic through Ohrid lake and Prespan Lake has been developed, mostly for tourist purposes. There are 17 airports officially in North Macedonia, of which 11 are with solid substrates. Among them are two airports of international character, since they are listed on the airport's IATA airport code International Airport Skopje and Ohrid St. Paul the Apostle Airport. North Macedonia 1 Country Pass Eurail Macedonia Pass (Eurail is a European Rail Pass for Non Europeans) Eurail 2 Country Select Pass North Macedonia 2 Countries Pass Discover North Macedonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Germany by train. If you want to get a taste of 2 different cultures on a single trip, choose the Eurail Two Country Select Pass (previously called the Eurail Regional Pass). This pass lets you discover 2 bordering European countries by train and offers the best value if you want to focus your adventure on a specific part of Europe North Macedonia 3 or 4 Countries Pass Pick your itinerary and travel to three popular cities in Europe: North Macedonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Germany European East Pass Make your way through picturesque scenery with unlimited train travel in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Hungary. Central Europe Triangle Pass Discover some of the most popular destinations in Central Europe as you travel between Vienna, Prague and Budapest or Salzburg The Central Europe Triangle Pass Eurail 3 Country Select Pass North Macedonia 3 Countries Pass Travel in 3 bordering countries in Europe. Delve deeper into the culture, landscape, and everyday life of 1 region in Europe. With the Eurail Three Country Select Pass you can narrow your trip to 3 bordering countries Eurail 4 Country Select Pass North Macedonia 4 Countries Pass Travel in 4 bordering countries in Europe. Travel by train in 4 European countries with the Eurail Four Country Select Pass. You can pick the 4 bordering countries you'd like to visit below Balkan Flexi Pass 7 Countries Pass Visit Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Turkey in first class. Eurail Global Rail Pass 33 Countries Pass Enjoy train travel in 33 countries with this one pass! | |||||
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