Albania - General Information

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Country Name

Albania (Shqipëtare)

National railway system

All train services in Albania were suspended in November 2016, owing to unpaid bills for fuel causing the railway company's bank accounts to be frozen. By February 2017 passenger services had resumed between Durrës and Kashar.

National Railway Operator

Hekurudha Shqipëtare (HSH). Their website at www.hsh.com.al no longer exists.

Infrastructure Authority

Unknown

Language

Albanian

Currency

Lek

UIC code

numeric 41; alpha AL.

Timetable

Journey Planner

None.

Downloadable Timetable

The Ministry of Transport web page Oraret e trenave për Pasagjerët enables a single sheet showing the entire timetable to be downloaded. Click on 1. Oraret e transportit të pasagjerëve për Udhëtarët ----- SHKARKO.

A good unofficial timetable in German Kursbuch der Albanischen Eisenbahn was available for 2015, and may also be available for 2016.

Printed Timetable

No timetable is published by HSH, although train times are posted at stations.

Engineering Information

None.

Maps

There is no official HSH railway map. Quail Map Company publishes the Albanian Railway Guide, which includes track diagrams, motive power details and other information. General maps can be misleading, because they may be based on deliberately inaccurate information provided by the former communist government.

Ticketing

There is no railrover ticket covering Albania, but fares are extremely cheap and based on a zonal system. Tickets are not sold in advance, and are valid only on the first train following issue. As at January 2016 Albanian Railways does not appear to have a website. Previously information was available as follows: The HSH website > Orare dhe Tarifat për Pasagjëre > Tabela e zonave të udhëtimit gives a table showing the zone for all possible journeys. The HSH website > Orare dhe Tarifat për Pasagjëre > Tarifat e biletave për transportin e udhëtareve shows the fare for each zone.

Gauge

Standard

Electrification

None

Rule of the road

There are no double track lines, except in the immediate vicinity of principal stations, and the track used depends on operating convenience.

Other Railways

None

Tourist line

None

Metro

None

Trams

None

Recent and future changes

As at November 2016 no trains were running in Albania owing to unpaid bills for fuel causing the company's bank accounts to be frozen.

All train services in Albania were cancelled from 9 July 2016 apart from one train pair between Kashar (in the suburbs of Tiranë) and Durrës. In late July services were reinstated to Librazhd and Shkodër but the situation remains very fluid and travellers should be aware that further changes may be made at short notice. The entire network is in danger of collapse. However, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced in June 2016 a loan of €86m to HSH to rehabilitate the 34.7 km between Tirana Terminal (PTT) and Durres and also for construction of a line between the airport and PTT Tirana.

Albania hopes to integrate its regions by improving connections between its major cities. It is unclear if this includes the railways and whether any further EBRD funding would be forthcoming.

The branch to Rreshen closed to passenger traffic in November 1996 and the track was used to repair damage to the Shkodër line. The line between Fier and Ballsh closed to passenger traffic in 2001 but remains open for freight. The Durrës avoiding line linking the Tiranë and Elbasan lines, formerly used by passenger trains in summer and which appeared to have been out of use since 2006, was observed as being lifted in October 2012. The once daily train from Rrogozhinë to Pogradec was 'temporarily' withdrawn beyond Librazhd (a short distance east of Elbasan) in summer 2012, apparently after damage from road construction work. Reopening was understood to be scheduled for early in 2013 but the line remained closed as at January 2016. Tiranë - Vorë was closed in September 2013 for redevelopment of Tiranë station. A rail service between Vorë and Kashar, in the suburbs of Tiranë was reinstated on 26 May 2015. A bus link is provided for the 3 km to the Multimodal Terminal.

Special notes

By comparison with other European systems, HSH is a very primitive railway, partly due to damage arising from civil disturbances in 1990-92 and 1997.

There are no international passenger trains to Albania, the one railway into Montenegro being used only for freight traffic. Principal routes to Western Europe are by air, or ferry from Brindisi (Italy).

Further information about Albanian Railways can be found at www.angelfire.com/ak/hekurudha/index.html

See also