The overhaul of a 34-kilometre railway section connecting the Albanian capital Tirana to the coastal city of Durres is in its final stages and will be completed by the end of the year, Infrastructure Minister Belinda Balluku said on Tuesday.

The electrification of the line and the acquisition of rolling stock are planned for 2026, Balluku said, as seen in a video on Facebook.

The reconstruction of the railway line is estimated to cost 92.1 million euros, the government has said. It is co-financed by EBRD with a 36.9 million euro loan and the European Union with a grant of up to 35.5 million euro.

The project is part of a broader plan to revitalize the railway sector in Albania, including the overhaul of the 34-kilometre Durres-Rrogozhine railway section and a 120-kilometre railway line connecting Vore in central Albania to Hani i Hotit at the border with Montenegro.

The railway network in Albania has not benefited from any major overhaul since its commissioning. It currently allows for travel speeds under 60 km/h. It has not been electrified and the telecommunication and signaling system is obsolete, causing frequent interruptions in traffic. As a result, passenger services are seasonal and freight transport is inefficient.