 | |
 Historic map of Albanian railways. Most lines now closed. | |
 T-669 Locomotive at Kashar station in 2015 serving Tirana (now closed) | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Durres Railway Station, Durrës, Albania |
| Locale | Albania |
| Dates of operation | 1945– |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Other | |
| Website | hekurudha |
Hekurudha Shqiptare or HSH (Albanian Railways) is the state-owned operator of the Albanian railway system and became a private company in 2005. The system's main passenger terminal was Durrës railway station in the port city of Durrës.
HSH's infrastructure used to run east to Pogradec (up to Librazhd as of 2012[update]), south to Vlorë and north to Shkodër. There was also a branch line to the capital Tirana (up to Kashar, 10 km away as of 2015[update]). The network was extended beyond Shkodër in the 1980s into what is now Montenegro, via the Albanian border town of Hani i Hotit. But this section of the system is for freight only. There is also no physical rail connection between Albania and neighbouring Kosovo, North Macedonia, or Greece.
The HSH network was entirely unelectrified, and trains were hauled by Czechoslovak T-669 diesel-electric locomotives. The system was single-track throughout, with passing loops at various points. Second-hand passenger rolling stock from Germany's DB and former DR, Italy's FS, Austria's ÖBB, and Poland's PKP was used. Trains suffered internal and external damage from vandalism, including the stoning of locomotives and carriages. Further problems arose from landslide damage to sections of the track or because lengths of rail were stolen for iron scrap.
The system is barely surviving with an Elbasan–Durrës train and a Shkodër–Laç train, although rehabilitation is currently underway on the Durrës–Tiranë railway, with other projects in various stages of planning.