Port and Railway, the two projects that turn Durrës into a regional transport hub
The Albanian government is pursuing maritime and railway infrastructure transformation projects, with the aim of turning the Port of Durres and its rail links with Tirana into an important regional transport hub. At the forum held by Klik Ekspo Group, the director of the Port of Durres, Liburn Aliu, said that the work is focused on relocating cargo operations to the Port of Porto Romano, while the current port will be turned into a space for yachts and tourism.
"Currently, at the Port of Durres, the entire focus is on the transformation from the situation we are in, towards the port of Porto Romano. A project that is in line with the vision of the government of the Republic of Albania, for sustainable development for Albania, and also for the entire Region. The port in Porto Romano, just like the Port of Durres, which has historically been the port of the entire region, aims to develop into a modern port, with a considerable water depth, and which will place Albania at a level of regional competitiveness. It will be a green port, which will enable sustainable development, with modern technology efficiency systems, with intelligent systems for managing port operations and in integrated road and rail infrastructure," said Liburn Aliu, Director of the Port of Durres.
"This project will enable a gradual relocation from the current port of Durres to the Port of Porto Romano, which will be a cargo port. Meanwhile, in the port of Durres, we will have a yacht port and a marina, which will give the city of Durres a development and will give it new opportunities for tourism development, since in the position where it is, it will turn Durres into the most beautiful city in the region."
Durrës' connections with the region will make this port in the historical position it has. The entire region will gravitate through Durrës in both directions where goods through the current road corridors that are, the highways that have been developed so far, be it Corridor VIII, or the National Road that connects to Kosovo, and all need to be accompanied by the railway. Therefore, all this development of the region, sustainable development will receive a very large impulse with the realization of the project in Porto Romano", added Mr. Aliu.
The Director of the country's largest port stressed that this project will place Albania at a new level of competitiveness in the region, thanks to the water depth, intelligent systems and modern road and rail infrastructure that will be connected to the new port. Meanwhile, another strategic project is progressing in parallel: the rehabilitation of the Tirana-Durres railway line and the construction of a new line to Rinas airport.
"The first swallow of these projects financed by the European community, this first swallow is called the Rehabilitation of the Old Tirana-Durres Railway and the Connection with a New Line to Rinas Airport. Today we are 90% of the finalization of civil works and at the end of this year we will have benefited from a new line. In May of next year, we will complete the railway stations of the entire line, and from May to December we will deal with its commissioning. And the year 2027 is the year of operation. I hope that in the first quarter of next year, we will put this line into operation. One of the main components of this line is electrification. The electrification process comes with a WBIT grant and a loan from the IBRD, a reciprocal amount of 13.5 grant and 13.5 loan, we will have a value of 27 million, for the development of this work. So this component is already in the tendering phase and in the middle of this month we will also have the opening of the Technical components and offers, based on the tender offer. So within this year we will find out very quickly who is the winner and who will develop this tender for the electrification of the Tirana-Durrës railway. What is the main component, is the connection of the central station, which is located at the Kamza bend, with the new City Center station, which is in the old station of the existing train. This would make the railway even more visible, because the connectivity of all the residents of Tirana with an old station, which has been very comfortable to access, as well as for the arrival of all tourists, "said Ergys Verdho, Administrator of the Albanian Railways
According to him, electrification will bring higher efficiency and lower pollution, while the connection to the “City Center Station” in the heart of Tirana will make the railway more accessible to citizens and tourists. These two strategic projects, the transformation of the Port of Durres and the modernization of the Tirana-Durres railway, are expected to significantly change the map of transport and economic development in Albania and the region.
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