Rehabilitation of the Tirana-Durres Railway Line

Albanian State Railways has signed a contract with Italian company INC for the rehabilitation of the Durrës-Tirana railway line and the construction of a new line out to Mother Teresa Airport.

Durrës is Albania’s largest port, while Tirana is the country’s capital. The infrastructure along the existing single-track 37km line will be replaced in full. Construction will now also begin on the new 5.7km line. At the moment, trains on the Durrës-Tirana line travel at an average speed of less than 60km/h.

The contract was signed by representatives from Albanian Railways and INC. Both the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union (EU) are supporting the project.

The EBRD is assisting the project with a loan of 36.9 million euros, while the EU is providing an investment grant of up to 35.5 million euros via its ‘Connectivity Agenda for the Western Balkans’. A further 2.75 million euros have been secured from bilateral donors in grants, via the Western Balkans Investment Framework.