Hekurudha Shqiptare

Hekurudha Shqiptare

Newly painted T-669 Locomotive at Kashar transit station
Locale	Albania
Dates of operation	1945–
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Headquarters	Durres Railway Station, Durrës, Albania
Website	http://www.hsh.com.al/

Hekurudha Shqiptare or HSH (Albanian Railways) is the state-owned operator of the Albanian railway system. The system's main passenger terminal is Durrës railway station in the port city of Durrës.

HSH's infrastructure runs east to Pogradec (up to Librazhd as of 2012), south to Vlorë and north to Shkodër. There is also a branch line to the capital Tirana (up to Kashar, 10 km away as of 2015). The network was extended beyond Shkodër in the 1980s into what is now Montenegro, via the Albanian border town of Hani i Hotit. But this section of the system is for freight only. There is also no physical rail connection between Albania and neighbouring Macedonia or Greece. Albanian Railways has been described by many travel guides as a tourist attraction and a de facto panoramic journey.

The HSH network is entirely unelectrified, and trains are hauled by Czechoslovak T-669 diesel electric locomotives. The system is basically single-track throughout, with passing loops at various points. Second-hand passenger rolling stock from Germany's DB, Italy's FS, Austria's ÖBB, and Poland's PKP is used. Trains have suffered internal and external damage from vandalism, including the stoning of locomotives and carriages. Periodically, some lines fail to run a full schedule following landslide damage to sections of the track or because lengths of rail have been stolen for iron scrap. Plans exist to upgrade the Durrës–Tiranë line linking it with Rinas Airport starting in 2013 although a similar previous plan was rejected by the Albanian government.