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Durrës-Tirana-Rinas Railway to be operational by the end of 2027, search begins for private operator and trains

2026-06-09 07:26:00, Aktualitet CNA

Durrës-Tirana-Rinas Railway to be operational by the end of 2027, search

The government has begun the search for operators who will provide public railway service for the Durrës-Tirana-Tirana International Airport line, which will also have to provide the trains.

The call for expressions of interest published on May 27, 2026 by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, in coordination with the Albanian Railways, foresees precisely this aspect. Interested companies or consortia have until July 26, 2026 to submit expressions of interest.

According to the document, the next contract will start with the operation of services on the Durrës-Tirana-Rinas corridor, while the tender is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2026. The start of passenger services is expected in the fourth quarter of 2027.

The operator to be contracted must also provide the rolling stock, i.e. the trains, which can be new, used or rented. The document foresees the ideal use of electric units, but does not exclude other means, as long as they meet the technical and operational requirements.

For the initial package, the service is foreseen on two lines: Tirana–Durrës, with a length of 37.9 kilometers, and Tirana–Airport, with a length of 15.4 kilometers. On weekdays, 44 services are foreseen on the Tirana–Durrës line and 74 services on the Tirana–Airport line. This means that there are about 22 pairs of trips per weekday on the Tirana–Durrës line and 37 pairs of trips on the Tirana–Airport line.

The document estimates that four electric train units will be needed for this phase, or six if reserves are included. Initial services are expected to reach around 1.1 million train kilometers per year, including empty movements.

The contract is expected to last 10 to 15 years, while the envisaged model is a gross contract, where the payment to the operator will be based on the kilometers of trains performed while the risk of tickets sold will be borne by the institutions. Bonus or penalty mechanisms for the quality and punctuality of the service may also be envisaged.

In the future, the contract may be extended to the Tirana–Hani i Hotit and Durrës–Pogradec lines, depending on the completion of network modernization projects. According to the document, the line to Hani i Hotit could open in 2030, while the one to Pogradec in 2035.

Following the closing of the expression of interest period, interested parties are expected to be invited to a consultation workshop in the third quarter of 2026. The information collected will be used to prepare the competitive procedure for the public passenger rail service contract. /Monitor





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