The Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, has highlighted the Prishtina-Durrës railway as one of the government’s top priorities, confirming that the project is moving toward implementation.
Rama said that in his recent meeting with Albin Kurti, the leaders discussed two potential foreign financing options for the railway, which will span 105 kilometers, include 14 tunnels, and 43 bridges.
“The feasibility study and preliminary project for the Durrës–Prishtina railway, completed in collaboration with the Kosovo government, has been finalized. In our last meeting with Prime Minister Kurti, we discussed two foreign financing avenues that we will jointly explore,” Rama stated.
The railway, also known as the “Kuq e Zi” line, will adhere to European Union standards and forms part of plans to electrify 530 kilometers of rail network. According to the project, there will be nine daily passenger trips. A full journey stopping at every station will take 5 hours and 54 minutes, while express regional trains stopping only at major stations will take 3 hours and 40 minutes.
The total project cost is estimated at €1.8 billion, with the first train expected to operate within 10 years. Rama discussed the railway during a session with the Socialist Parliamentary Group, alongside updates on other ongoing and planned infrastructure projects.
The project has previously been presented in Shkodër, and Rama also visited Kosovo last month to meet with Kurti and President Vjosa Osmani to discuss joint infrastructure priorities.
