The Distribution System Operator, part of OSHEE Group, will move several power lines located close to the rails of the Tirana-Durres railway and the new extension to the Tirana International airport.

In a procurement procedure that has this project as its object, it is underlined that this comes after a request made earlier last year by the Albanian Railways for the relocation of overhead power lines within the framework of the project: “Rehabilitation of the Durres-PTT Tirana Railway Line and the connection to Tirana International Airport (TIA)”, as well as a letter from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy.

“The relocation and elimination of overhead crossings consists of developing a new network with cable lines that will intersect under the train tracks in separate segments, installed in plastic pipes and with manholes on each side. In order to respect safety distances, it has been deemed necessary that some overhead lines that extend along the track route be relocated to another position,” the document accompanying the draft project says.

The technical report of the project states that, referring to information from the Albanian Railways, the railway route's location is along the former old train tracks, which will be rehabilitated, and is extended to several road segments, specifically: Tirana-Domje, Domje-Rinas, Domje-Vora, and Vora-Durres. The administrative units affected are: Tirana Municipality, Vora Municipality, and Durres Municipality.

The works on the Tirana-Durres railway and the extension to TIA have been ongoing since 2021, with a series of delays that have postponed the completion deadline and entry into operation several times. In the latest official statements, the full start of operation will only be possible at the beginning of 2027.

This project was initially financed with a loan of about Euro 70 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, while later the government requested an additional Euro 40 million of this loan to complete its works. According to the argument, the reason for this additional cost was the increase in the cost of construction materials, which has significantly increased the bill, while part of this additional cost will go to the construction of stations.

The Tirana-Durres railway and the extension to the airport have a length of 39 kilometers. The trains on this railway will be electric and will cover the distance in 22 minutes. In total, there will be 11 stations along the entire line.