The railways in Albania are administered by the national railway company Hekurudha Shqiptare (HSH) (which means Albanian Railways). It operates a 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) gauge (standard gauge) rail system in Albania. All trains are hauled by Czech-built ČKD diesel-electric locomotives. The system is considered by many travel guides as a tourist attraction and de facto a panoramic train journey.
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History [edit]
The country's first standard gauge line was not built until 1947, although some narrow (decauville) gauge lines were built earlier during World War I. There is one international link with Montenegro, the Podgorica–Shkodër railway, which has only ever been used for freight traffic, and whose last station in Albania is the Bajzë Rail Station.
The railway system was extensively promoted by the totalitarian regime of Enver Hoxha, during which time the use of private transport was effectively prohibited.
Since the collapse of the former regime, there has been a considerable increase in car ownership and bus usage. Whilst some of the country's roads are still in a very poor condition, there have been other developments (such as the construction of a motorway between Tirana and Durrës) which have taken much traffic away from the railways.
Timeline [edit]
- November 1947 - Opening of the first standard gauge railway line (Durrës to Peqin).
- June 1957 - Introduction of diesel-electric locomotives.
- July 1973 - Completion of the railway line from Elbasan to Prrenjas, the first Albanian line through the mountains.
- September 1986 - First international rail freight (to and from Montenegro, then part of Yugoslavia).
- 2000 - HSH ceases to be a state enterprise, becoming a limited company (although state owned).
- 2005 - Other rail operators allowed track access.
Source: HSH website
The present day network [edit]
The HSH passenger system presently consists of the following lines:
- Shkodër–Vorë railway–Durrës–Rrogozhinë–Fier–Vlorë (Rrogozhinë-Vlorë only Summer from 2012)
- Vorë–Tirana as part of the Durrës–Tiranë railway
- Rrogozhinë–Elbasan–Librazhd
The rails from the line Milot–Rubik–Rrëshen have been partially removed to repair the line to Montenegro. The line should have led to the Nuclear Power Plant of Klos, but was never finished. Currently a new railway link is being built between Rrëshen and the border to Kosovo.
The Librazhd-Pogradec line, the most beautiful part of the Albanian railway netwrk was closed for passenger traffic in 2012, the stored locomotives and wagons from Prrenjas are beingmoved to Elbasan. After that the railway is probably going to be dismantled, as it doesn't link any major cities.
There are also several freight-only branch lines. Regular freight trains run between Podgorica and Shkodër every weekday (with an Albanian or a Montenegrean locomotive alternating daily) and between Durrës and the oil refinery at Ballsh about once a week. The Tirana-Shkodër and the Durrës-Elbasan lines are normally served by mixed trains.
The country's rail system is in need of considerable investment. Some trains and railway equipment were damaged during the 1997 unrest in Albania. Virtually all the carriages now used have been obtained secondhand from other European railways and some are in a dilapidated condition. Although the official maximum speed limit is 80 km/h, the April 2007 edition of the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable shows that a journey from Shkodër to Tirana (98 kilometres) takes 3½ hours. Many travel guides recommend taking the Albanian railway system for experiencing the peculiar atmosphere and beauty of the Albanian countryside.
Periodically, some lines do not run on full schedule due to naturally occurring landslides or from the stealing of rail track components for iron scrap.
The UIC Country Code for the Albanian railway system is 41.
Rail links to adjacent countries [edit]
Neighbouring railways have the same gauge.
- Montenegro - freight only
- Greece - no connection
- Republic of Macedonia - no connection
- Kosovo - no connection
See also [edit]
References [edit]
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rail transport in Albania |
- HSH System Map
- HSH Official Website
- — Timetable of Albanian trains
- — A site maintained by and for railway enthusiasts with an interest in Albanian Railways.
- Albanian railways in photos
- Photo gallery dedicated to HSH on World of Railways.
- Albania's long-suffering railways.
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