Durrës–Tiranë railway
| Durrës–Kashar railway (since 2015) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Train in Kashar station serving Tirana, May 2015
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| Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Commuter rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini |
Durrës Tiranë (Kashar as of May 2015) |
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| Stations | 6 (3 in use) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 27 January 1949 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 38 km (23.61 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating speed | 41 mph (66 km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Durrës–Tiranë railway was a 38 km railway line which joined the two biggest cities in Albania: Durrës and Tirana. The line connects to the Shkodër–Vorë railway halfway in Vorë, and to the Durrës-Vlorë railway in Durrës. As of September 2013, the line became defunct as the Tirana Station is being dismantled to make way for the lengthening of the Tirana main boulevard. As a result, the Tirana station was moved to Vore in 2013 and later to renovated Kashar station in May 2015. The current Kashar-Tiranë line was replaced with a bus service. The original line was built during 1948-1949 based exclusively on work of volunteers and was the second passenger railway in Albania after the Durrës-Peqin railway which had been completed a year earlier. It is operated by Hekurudha Shqiptare.
The railway was 38 km long connecting the two most important cities of Albania, Durrës and Tirana. It was built during 1948-1949 and was the second standard gauge passenger railway in Albania after that of Durrës-Peqin, which had started in 1940, and was completed in 1948.
The works started from the Shkozet station (near Durrës) on April 11, 1948. Overall 29,000 young people of the Labour Youth Union of Albania and 1400 qualified technicians from all Albania participated to the building of the railway. In addition, young volunteers sent from the Youth sections of the Communist parties of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia participated in the construction. During the Albanian-Yugoslavian split in 1948 the Yugoslavian volunteers were accused of sabotage, especially the engineers. The works continued under the supervision of Soviet engineer Valeri Gaydarov. Rails were imported from the Soviet Union through the port of Durrës. The volunteering brigades had as a goal to finish the railway by the 31st anniversary of the Red Army, on 23 February 1949, and the goal was successfully achieved.
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Wikipedia