Rail transport in Albania

The railways in Albania are administered by the national railway company "Hekurudha Shqiptare" (HSH) (which means "Albanian Railways"). It operates a 1435 mm gauge (standard gauge) rail system in Albania. All trains are hauled by Czech-built ČKD diesel-electric locomotives.

The country's first standard gauge line was not built until 1947, although some narrow gauge lines were built earlier. There is one international link, with Montenegro, which has only ever been used for freight traffic; although this line (from Shkodër to Podgorica) was severed in 1997, it was restored in 2002.

The HSH passenger system consists of the following lines:
*Shkodër–Milot–Vorë–Durrës–Rrogozhinë–Fier–Vlorë
*Vorë–Tirana
*Rrogozhinë–Elbasan–Pogradec

The rails from the line Milot–Rubik–Rrëshen have been partially removed to repair the line to Montenegro. There are also several freight-only branch lines.

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.

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.

The UIC Country Code for the Albanian railway system is 41.

Developments

*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"

ee also

*Transport in Albania
*Hekurudha Shqiptare

External links

* [http://www.hsh.com.al/eng/default.htm Official HSH website]
*http://www.angelfire.com/ak/hekurudha/index.html — A site maintained by and for railway enthusiasts with an interest in Albanian Railways.