An ambitious program aims to restore most of the railway lines that were the main mode of transport in Albania for most of the last century.

Rebuilding and modernizing the railways would make transport in Albania greener while improving connections with neighboring countries and the European rail network.

The current plan is focused on rebuilding and modernizing the railway sections between Durrës and Tirana (including a new connection to Tirana airport), Vora and Han i Hotit (near the border with Montenegro), Durrës and Rrogozhina, and Rrogozhina – Pogradec. It will also create a new cross-border connection with North Macedonia.

European Commission agencies involved in enabling the country to rebuild and maintain a modern railway system, announce the agreement reached with EC, the EIB, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on an action plan that ensures this criterion.

Its approval by the European Commission unlocked an additional investment grant of Euro 136 million from the Western Balkans Investment Framework for the Vora – Hani i Hotit railway line and allowed for loans from the EIB and EBRD for the same line. If all goes according to plan, the Albanian Railways will rebuild and modernize more than 75% of its 425 km of railways in the next decade.

In addition to the practical benefit, the EU sees the renovation of the Durrës-Qafë Thanë railway segment as a way to realize European rail transport towards the East, by financially supporting its achievement.

According to DW, the reconstruction of this line becomes even more sensitive for the European Union given that another regional railway line Thessaloniki-Serbia is financed by China and crosses the Balkans without passing through Albania.

Furthermore, the tender for the study and design of the project for the rehabilitation of the Rrogozhina-Vlora railway line, as well as the design of the new railway line that will connect the Vlora airport with the city of Vlora has been closed without complaints, paving the way for the announcement of the winner and the conclusion of the contract.

The procurement procedure was opened in December by the Albanian Railways, while the companies had until February 10 to submit their offers.

The winner company will have to draft an implementation project for an electric railway line with a speed of up to 120 km/h. Also, the railway must be according to UIC D4 category standards with a load of 22.5 tons per axle and a longitudinal load of 8 t/m. The project will also take into account the possibility of running trains with a length of 740 m and the possibility of exchanging trains.

With the opening of the tender procedure, it was announced that the existing Rrogozhina-Vlora line with a length of 84.27 km, operates below optimal capacity due to outdated infrastructure and the need for deep improvements. Meanwhile, the construction of the Vlora airport creates a great opportunity for the economic and tourist development of the region and for this reason, it is necessary to build a new railway line to connect the city of Vlora with this airport, it was stated, among other things, in the tender documents.