Rail transport in Albania
Encyclopedia
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
are administered by the national railway company Hekurudha Shqiptare (HSH) (which means Albanian Railways). It operates a gauge (standard gauge) rail system in Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. All trains are hauled by Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
-built ČKD
CKD
A knock-down kit is a kit containing the parts needed to assemble a product...
diesel-electric locomotives. The system is considered by many travel guides as a tourist attraction and de facto a panoramic train journey.
History
The country's first standard gauge line was not built until 1947, although some narrow (decauville) gauge lines were built earlier during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. There is one international link with Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
, the Podgorica–Shkodër railway
Podgorica–Shkodër railway
The Podgorica–Shkodër railway is a railway connecting Albania and Montenegro, used primarily for freight-purposes only. It is Albania's only international rail link. Although initially built between 1984–1985, it fell into disuse in 1991 and later fully reopened in 2003...
, which has only ever been used for freight traffic, and whose last station in Albania is the Bajzë Rail Station
Bajzë Rail Station
The Bajzë Rail Station is a railroad station located in Bajzë, Albania. It serves Albanian Railways as a freight line between Bajzë and Shkodër with an extension to the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica operated by Railways of Montenegro. Two freight trains pass daily through the station, hauling...
.
The railway system was extensively promoted by the totalitarian regime of Enver Hoxha
Enver Hoxha
Enver Halil Hoxha was a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary andthe leader of Albania from the end of World War II until his death in 1985, as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania...
, 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
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
ownership and bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
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
- November 1947 - Opening of the first standard gauge railway line (DurrësDurrësDurrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
to PeqinPeqinPeqin is the capital of the Peqin District in central Albania. The town has a population of 10,000.The ancient name of Peqin was Claudiana. The city's modern name derives from the Ottoman form Bekleyin, which means a place of hospitality. During Ottoman rule Peqin belonged to the Sanjak of Elbasan...
). - 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 YugoslaviaYugoslaviaYugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
). - 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
The HSH passenger system presently consists of the following lines:- Shkodër–Vorë railwayShkodër–Vorë railwayThe Shkodër–Vorë railway is a railway between Shkodër and Vorë in Albania.The line connects to the Podgorica–Shkodër railway in Shkodër, the uncompleted Milot–Klos railway in Milot and the Durrës–Tiranë railway in Vorë.- Overview :...
–DurrësDurrësDurrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
–RrogozhinëRrogozhinëRrogozhinë is a municipality in Kavajë District, Tirana County in Albania. The population currently is 28,758. The football club is KS Egnatia Rrogozhinë....
–FierFierFieri is a city in southwest Albania, in the district and county of the same name. It is located at , and has a population of 82,297 . Fier is from the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Apollonia.-History :...
–VlorëVlorëVlorë is one of the biggest towns and the second largest port city of Albania, after Durrës, with a population of about 94,000 . It is the city where the Albanian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on November 28, 1912... - VorëVorëVorë or Vora is a municipality in Tirana District, Tirana County in Albania.While small, it is located at a major road junction and railway junction.-References:...
–TiranaTiranaTirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
as part of the Durrës–Tiranë railwayDurrës–Tiranë railwayThe Durrës–Tiranë railway is a 38 km railway line which joins the two biggest cities in Albania: Durrës and Tirana. The line connects to the Shkodër–Vorë railway halfway in Vorë, and to the Durrës-Vlorë railway in Durrës... - RrogozhinëRrogozhinëRrogozhinë is a municipality in Kavajë District, Tirana County in Albania. The population currently is 28,758. The football club is KS Egnatia Rrogozhinë....
–ElbasanElbasanElbasan is a city in central Albania. It is located on the Shkumbin River in the District of Elbasan and the County of Elbasan, at...
–PogradecPogradecPogradec is a city in southeastern Albania, situated on the shores of Ohrid lake. It is the capital of the District of Pogradec, in the County of Korçë, located at 40.87°N and 20.70°E with a population of around 30,000 . The total area of the district is 725 km². Pogradec alone occupies about...
The rails from the line Milot–Rubik
Rubik, Albania
Rubik is a municipality located in the central-north of Albania in the mountainous Mirditë District along national roadway SH30 which links Tirana/Lezhë County with Rrëshen/Kukes and the new Durrës-Kosovo auto-strata...
–Rrëshen
Rrëshen
Rrëshen is a small Albanian city and the administrative seat of the Mirditë District, in northern Albania. In 2001, it had a population of 9,240 people.-The City:...
have been partially removed to repair the line to Montenegro. There are also several freight-only branch lines.
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
Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook of Melbourne, Derbyshire, England founded the travel agency that is now Thomas Cook Group.- Early days :...
European Rail Timetable shows that a journey from Shkodër to Tirana (98 kilometres) takes 3½ hours. Many travel guide recommend taking the Albanian railway system for experiencing the peculiar atmosphere and beauty of the Albanian countryside.
The UIC Country Code
UIC Country Code
The UIC Country Code is a two digit number used to identify member countries of the International Union of Railways . The UIC has issued numbering systems for rolling stock and train stations that both contain the UIC Country Code. The values are defined in UIC leaflet 920-14.-Table of Codes:-...
for the Albanian railway system is 41.
Rail links to adjacent countries
- Same gauge:
-
Montenegro - freight only -
Greece - no connection -
R. of Macedonia - no connection -
Kosovo - no connection
-