The Durrës-Prishtina railway, the contract for the feasibility study is concluded

2023-12-20 09:35:00, Aktualitet CNA

The Durrës-Prishtina railway, the contract for the feasibility study is

Illustrative photo

The contract with the winning company that will develop the feasibility study for the Durrës-Tirana railway has already been signed and its final value is around 202 million Lek or around 2 million Euros including value added tax.

The merger of the operators "ILF Consulting Engineers Austria GmbH & ABKONS SH.PK" was declared the winner only a short time ago as the procedure took more than a year to finalize due to the problems encountered.

The procedure ended in the Public Procurement Commission and then it was re-announced. The duration for the implementation of this contract between the Albanian Railways and the winning company is 14 months, at the end of which the study will be submitted.

The railway project

The approximate cost of the Durrës-Prishtina railway is estimated at 700 million euros. This line is considered to be of particular importance.

"The idea of ??building this railway line is of triple importance. The first is that through this railway line the exchange of goods transport between Albania, Kosovo and the wider region will increase significantly due to lower costs and greater capacities; the second is related to the development of passenger rail transport which will be very attractive and beneficial for both countries and beyond; while the third is that this railway line offers the best and most favorable alternative for the shortest connection of the railway network of Albania, namely the VIII railway corridor (eight) with the X railway corridor (ten)" the documents state. The same underline several alternatives for construction in terms of the track it passes through.

Alternative 1: Construction of the railway line (Mjedë - Kufi at Qafë Morinë - Kramovik)

The Albanian part of the route

The railway connection between Albania and Kosovo is conceived as a very difficult line, because it crosses a mountainous terrain. The total length from Mjeda to the border with Kosovo is about 107 km. The maximum design speed is expected to be 100 km/h.

Alternative 2: Construction of the railway line (Milot - Kufiri in Vërmicë - Landovicë).

The Albanian part of the route

Since 1999, the railway connection between Albania and Kosovo has been conceived through the existing line from Milot to the town of Rrëshen and the further extension towards the mouth of Fan i Vogël. In 2005, the construction of the Milot - Rrëshen - Kalimash highway began in the body of the railway track, at the exit from the Milot station in the direction of the Rubik station. The Albanian part of the line together with the Milot - Rrëshen part covers a length of about 108 km. This part has a tunnel with a length of about 11.5 km which enters the area of ??Bisak and exits in the area of ??Drin i Zi near Skavica.

Alternative 3: It will be determined by the consultant himself

This alternative remains to be analyzed and selected by the Consultant himself, according to the field visits and calculations made, and as such will be proposed to the Client./ Monitor