Pre‑qualification tender opened for Skopje BRT project, mayor says
Mayor Orce Gjorgievski says the application period runs until 2 November and called on domestic and regional companies to apply.
The City of Skopje has launched a pre-qualification tender for the long‑planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, Mayor Orce Gjorgievski announced in a video statement, marking the move from preparation toward implementation.
Application deadline and calls for bidders
Gjorgievski said the application period for companies runs until 2 November and urged interested firms from North Macedonia and the region to apply to ensure broad competition.
“It was truly difficult during the past period to overcome all the obstacles and challenges connected to this project, but thanks to the whole team in the City of Skopje, thanks to the EBRD and the support we received, the support of the Prime Minister, today the tender procedure has finally been announced,” Gjorgievski said.
The mayor described the BRT as one of three major transport projects for Skopje residents and said the city is nearing the end of preparatory work needed to begin detailed design and construction.
“Finally one of the three important things for Skopje residents, connected to urban transport, comes to its photo finish, and that is the BRT. Although many did not believe there would be certainty for the entire project and that we would begin implementation, we are now finishing preparations to begin design and execution of it,” he added.
Gjorgievski also noted that procurement for 100 new buses has been completed and the delivery period is already underway. He said that when BRT is combined with the new buses and planned urban rail and rail links inside the capital, the city will have the foundations for a modern public transport system.
“There will be more alternatives for citizens, an ecological transport that will encourage — I believe and am convinced — citizens to choose alternatives instead of their cars. Let the start of the process be a good omen and I believe that by the end of my mandate Skopje residents will be able to use this project with satisfaction, and that is the BRT in our capital,” Gjorgievski said.
In July, after a working meeting with an EBRD team in the country led by director Fatih Turkmenoglu, Gjorgievski said final coordination steps for the next phases of realization and optimization of the BRT project had been completed. The government at the end of March approved support for the project, which is planned to be financed with a EUR 70 million loan from the EBRD; those funds are to be transferred by the Government to the City of Skopje as non‑repayable funds.
The planned BRT network foresees construction of two lines — east–west and north–south — procurement of CNG/hybrid low‑floor BRT vehicles, a passenger information system, smart stations and integration with the city traffic management system.
Photo: press material from the event
