The project for the Tirana-Durres railway and the extension in Rinas is expected to continue with work next year, with plans to intervene in the 11th station, which was left out of the current project.
This foresees the bringing of the Station to the capital from the Terminal, which is the final station in the initial variant. Referring to the projects that will be financed from next year's draft budget, it turns out that the government has foreseen 400 million lek or 4.1 million euros for the "Implementation of the railway line project public transport terminal - Tirana train station (4km), as an extension of the Durrës - Tirana railway line".
Another project that will be financed with next year's budget is the purchase of Electric Units (EMU) for the Durrës - Tirana - Rinas Railway Line with a fund of 350 million lek or about 3.6 million euros. The government has already opened a tender regarding the electrification of the line in question, while it is also planned to go to the markets to provide the necessary trains before the railway is put into operation.
Earlier, the Albanian Railways announced a “market teaser” in an attempt to attract the attention of interested parties to provide the necessary units for the railway. These could be used units, while at the same time stating that the operation of passenger trains would have a potential concession model, i.e., it would be by a private operator with experience in this field.
In some statements made by government representatives and Railway leaders, the full start of operations will only be possible at the beginning of 2027.
This project was initially financed with a loan of around 70 million euros from the EBRD, while only at the beginning of this year the government requested an additional 40 million euros of this loan to complete its works. According to the argument, the reason for this addition was the increase in the cost of construction materials, which have significantly increased the bill, while part of this addition will go to the construction of the stations.
The Tirana-Durres railway and the extension in Rinas have a length of 39 kilometers. The trains on this railway will be electric and will cover the distance in 22 minutes. In total, there will be 11 stations along the entire line./Monitor
