In February 2021, Albanian officials promised during the contract signing ceremony that the Tirana-Durres railway line and a new segment towards Rinas would be rehabilitated within 30 months and cost Euro 69.6 million in total.

Four years later, the railway line has not yet been completed, and its costs have increased by almost 63%.

The Tirana-Durres railway line is expected to cut the travel time between the two cities to 22 minutes and, according to the Minister of Infrastructure, Belinda Balluku, the project is expected to save current private vehicle users Euro 55 million per year.

The project is financed by the European Union and a loan taken out by the Albanian government from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, EBRD, while the tender was won by the Italian company INC SPA.

The project was estimated to cost EUR 69.6M, but according to Albanian Railways advisor Leonard Jani, its costs have now reached EUR 110M.

Jani told BIRN that an additional EUR 10.5M went to the restoration of the stations, which is expected to be completed this year. Meanwhile, the 2022 price increase for materials such as rails, sleepers, and signals brought an additional bill of EUR 29M.

“The designers have worked to ensure that the future buildings have the same architecture, distinguishable from the public. A contractor has already been selected, and the stations will be ready by the end of the year,” Jani told BIRN.

The implementation of the project has also faced other difficulties, such as the expropriation of homes, land, and businesses near the railway line, according to the standards followed by the EBRD.

“Although many of the properties legalized over the years were built in violation of the Railway Code law, they have now been compensated, paving the way for the construction process of the Durrës – Tirana line,” Jani added.

Most Albanian railway lines began to be built during the Communist era, both for passenger and industrial transport. They were abandoned by passengers due to degradation, while the current investments are the first in this sector since the fall of communism.

The Tirana - Durrës railway line is not planned for high-speed electric trains, although according to Jani, such a project is being planned for a second phase.

The overhead electric line over the entire length of 34.2 km is planned to be laid after the completion of another project when the use of trains will have started normally.

“The project that is being implemented only envisages the placement of the foundation of the supporting columns of the electric line,” said Jani, an engineer with 50 years of experience in the Albanian railway system.

Currently, out of 390 km of railway line, only the Durrës - Elbasan segment with a length of 76 km is operating in Albania. The Durrës - Tirana line is expected to enter into operation next year.