| Rail transport in Albania | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 HSH train on the Tirana-Durrës line | |||||
| Operation | |||||
| National railway | Hekurudha Shqiptare | ||||
| Statistics | |||||
| Freight | 0.34 million tonne-km (2017)[1] | ||||
| System length | |||||
| Total | 424 kilometres (263 mi)[1] | ||||
| Double track | 0 km (0 mi)[1] | ||||
| Electrified | 0 km (0 mi)[1] | ||||
| Track gauge | |||||
| Main | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||||
| High-speed | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | ||||
| |||||
Railways in Albania are administered by the national railway company Hekurudha Shqiptare (HSH) (Albanian Railways). It operates a standard-gauge railway gauge (1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)) rail system in Albania. All trains are, currently, hauled by Czechoslovak-built ČKD diesel-electric locomotives.
The small system, now mostly dysfunctional, was considered by many travel guides as a tourist attraction and de facto a panoramic train journey, however the railway from Elbasan to Pogradec, often considered to be the most scenic part of the railway, was closed in 2012 due to the poor condition of the line and the structures along it.[2] The Section of the Shkodër - Vora line south of Laç is closed. The tracks on the Tirana - Durrës line have been removed as it is currently undergoing rehabilitation works. The Durrës - Elbasan service had its Durrës-bound terminus moved up the line to Plazhi due to rehabilitation works at the Durrës station. This is, currently, the only operating passenger rail service in the country, running every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
There is only one international link, with Montenegro, the Podgorica–Shkodër railway, which has only ever been used for freight traffic, and whose last station in Albania is the Bajzë Rail Station. The condition of the line is very poor, with a lot of the damage caused by the 2019 earthquake.[3] As such, a lot of the line is out of commission, and a journey cannot currently be completed between the two termini.
- ^ a b c d "Railway Statistics – 2017 Synopsis" (PDF). International Union of Railways, IUC. 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
- ^ "Njoftim për shtypin". Hekurudhat Shqiptare. 11 October 2018. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- ^ Zito, Eralda (2023-06-29). "Hekurudha Vorë-Hani i Hotit, tenderi në korrik, projekti me vlerë 356 milionë euro". Revista Monitor. Retrieved 2023-09-11.