Projects

Date: 2018

Short description: Through WB13-ALB-TRA-01 Albania has received a grant (€720,000 approved in WBIF SC of June 2015) to study the feasibility for the rehabilitation and renewed operation of the existing railway line Durres – Rroghozina – Elbasan - Pogradec (151 km) with a 2.8km link from Lin to the border with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, for the creation of railway Corridor VIII.

The investments will improve multimodal connections with Italy, through the Port of Durres (Albania), as well as with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria via railway Corridor VIII. That project was implemented in 2 Components.

Component 1 evaluated at PFS level (with Conceptual Design and simplified CBA on the basis of a market survey) all the railway line (78.6km of which from Elbasan to Pogradec are not in operation since 2012). Following the evaluation through multicriteria analysis of various technical options it identified the priorities of the various sections along the line as well as the most preferable scenario for immediate implementation of the rehabilitation. The scenario selected was the “do something” scenario. The section with first priority was “Durres-Rrogozhine”.

Component 2 undertook for this priority section (Durres – Rrogozhine) the preparation of a detailed FS, including preliminary design, ESIA, detailed CBA and Project Implementation Plan - PIP. This study will be completed in Oct/Nov 2018. WB13-ALB-TRA-01 is implemented by IPF4. This project requires the preparation of the next stage of project development for the construction of this first priority railway segment (Durres-Rrogozhina) on the railway line Durres-Rrogozhina-Elbasan-Pogradec.

The project of regional importance aimed at Albania's connection by rail with former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as part of the Corridor VIII. It is in line with the SEETO priorities and is part of the National SPP package. Today in the section Durres-Rrogozhine-Elbasan that still operates, speeds do not exceed 40 km/h for passenger and 35 km/h for freight trains. Passenger services comprise of one pair of trains per day, while freight services are scheduled ad hoc.

Re-establishing the railway line to the original operating and design speed of 100km/h is only possible for the sections Durres-Rrogozhina and Rrogozhina-Elbasan. The specific railway line is shown in the map below, constituting the first section to the west, till the junction to the south.

Main objectives of the project: The overall objective of the project which is of national and regional importance is to contribute to the rehabilitation of the Rail Corridor VIII in the territory of Albania being justified by appropriate economic and financial analysis. This will result in improved transport connectivity in the region, reduction of road traffic overall and transit road traffic from the cities and reduction of environmental pollution

The main objective (the Goal) of the project is the increased modal shift to rail, stemming from the need to increase passenger and freight rail transport.

The investment is essential for continuing the process of upgrading the railway in Albania to a viable operating transport mode providing a reliable, fast and regular operations. In the absence of investment it is likely that the railway in Albania will further decline and eventually become obsolete.