State-owned railway operator Albanian Railways has opened a tender for the construction of eight stations along the 34-kilometer railway connecting the capital Tirana to the port city of Durres, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said.

Offers can be submitted in the EBRD procurement portal until July 9, the EBRD said in a tender notice last week.

The currently idle railway line is being restored in its existing route, with a budget valued at Euro 92.1 million (Dollar 100 million), the Albanian government has said. It is co-financed by the EBRD through a Euro 36.9 million loan, and the European Union, with an investment grant of up to Euro 35.5 million.

Last week, Infrastructure Minister Belinda Balluku said 70% of the reconstruction is complete. The railway is expected to become functional by March 2025.

The EBRD has so far invested more than €1 billion in railway projects across the region, most of them co-financed with significant EU grants. Work is also underway to rebuild railways in Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Serbia.

Infrastructure investments on such a large scale usually take years to prepare and complete, but they bring about significant long-term benefits. Switching from road to railway travel, which is safer and more environmentally friendly, will make traveling across the region easier and more comfortable for people and businesses.