Tirana - Durrës railway, extension of deadlines and increase in costs

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

But four years later, the railway line is still not completed, while its costs have increased by almost 63 percent.

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

The project is financed by the European Union and a loan received 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 69.6 million euros, but according to the Albanian Railways advisor, Leonard Jani, its costs have already reached 110 million euros.

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

"The designers have worked to ensure that the future buildings have the same architecture, recognizable to the public. The contracting firm has already been determined, and by the end of the year the stations will be ready," 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 have been 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.

Albanian railway lines began to be built during World War II, while during the Communist era, the Shkodër-Vlorë, Durrës – Guri i Kuq in Pogradec connections were built, as well as two industrial extensions to Fier – Ballsh and Milot – Klos. The railway lines were abandoned by passengers due to the slowness of the trains, 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 along the entire length of 34.2 km is expected 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 installation of the foundation for the supporting columns of the electric line," said Jani, an engineer with 50 years of experience in the Albanian railway system./ BIRN.

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