Infrastruct

A rail line across the mountains near Krrabë, would dramatically shorten the route between Tirana (Tiranë) and Elbasan, and extend the proposed high-speed rail line Tiranë – Shkodër. It could form the start of a new high-speed line south-east to Athinai (Athens) and Thessaloniki.

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Elbasan is inland from the coastal plains, where Albania’s population is concentrated, but the broad Shkumbin valley makes it relatively accessible. There is, however, no lowland route from Tirana. To reach Elbasan by train, you first travel in the opposite direction, north-west on the line to Durrës. From there, the rail line runs south along the coast, and finally eastwards along the Shkumbin. There is a direct road route over the mountains, about 50 km. East of Elbasan, the Shkumbin valley is Albania’s main route inland, with the only inland railway. Although it was always planned to connect it eastwards, the line only got as far as Pogradec, on the shore of Lake Ohrid. The political and social instability of the last 20 years has delayed any extension (to Kicevo and/or Kastoria). The rail / road routes along the Shkumbin valley, are officially part of Pan-European Corridor VIII.

The broad valley of the Shkumbin near Elbasan, with part of the steelworks. Image by Albinfo under Creative Commons 2.5 licence.

Population estimates for Tirana vary widely, but it probably has about 600 000 to 800 000 inhabitants. Elbasan lies 33 km to the south-east: it has about 125 000 inhabitants, with another 100 000 in the surrounding District (Rreth). The massive Communist-era steelworks was once the largest employer (and Albania’s largest polluter). Its collapse left all 12 000 workers unemployed, and deprived the city of its economic base.

Tirana looking south-east along the tectonic valley alignment, heights exaggerated: the red line is the main street of Elbasan, 33 km away.

Between the two cities are mountains, with a maximum elevation of 930 m. Tirana lies in a broad valley extending south-east. In this valley are lower foothills, which begin at the edge of the city centre. The Erzen river flows between these hills, passing south of Tirana. The main Elbasan road follows this river up the broad valley, for about 10 km. After the village of Ibë, the valley is narrower, and the slopes steeper: the road begins its climb to the ridge here. After the pass, the road follows the flank of the ridge, and then descends into the Shkumbin valley on a series of closely-spaced hairpin bends. This is impossible for a rail line, but there is a parallel valley (river Kusha), at right angles to the Shkumbin valley.

This (tectonic) corridor allows the construction of a direct rail link between the two cities. However, a tunnel of about 10 km is unavoidable, between the valley sections. The exact alignment of such a project can only be determined by geological studies. The line has four elements: an exit from Tirana, a line rising to the north portal, the tunnel, and a descent from the south portal.

Assuming a new central station in Tirana, as proposed for the HSL from Shkodër, the new line would begin in tunnel, in central Tirana. Depending on the orientation of the central station, the line would run south under the broad boulevard Dëshmorët e Kombit, or parallel to it. Behind the university building, at the end of this street, the ground rises. The new rail line would go under this hill (central Tirana is at 110 m elevation, the hill about 145 m). On the other side the line would run parallel to the higher ridge between Tirana and the river Erzen. To reach the river, the line must pass under part of this ridge, in another tunnel (red dotted line): it is then at about 150 m.

The line would then climb alongside the river Erzen for 7 km, possibly crossing it three times, to use level ground. It would follow a smaller tributary for a short distance, climbing to the tunnel portal at about 225 m. The level ground along the Erzen is intensively farmed, and some demolition will be inevitable.

The approximate location of the tunnel portals is shown in red. This is a ‘best-case’ assumption, with a tunnel of about 9 km. Geological conditions could require a longer tunnel, and more difficult approach lines. The tunnel would pass just south of the village of Krrabë, which also gives its name to the pass between Tirana and Elbasan. The southern portal of the tunnel would be in the Kusha valley, again at about 225 m.

From there, the line would run 8 km down the Kusha valley, and another 3 km into Elbasan station. For the first 5 km the valley floor is narrow: in places, the only level ground is the river bedding. Some short tunnels would be required to avoid curves: the line would drop about 100 m. Further down, the valley floor is broad enough ( (200-500 m). At the end of the valley, it suddenly opens up, and the rail line from Durrës is only 500 m further. The level ground here is at about 100 m elevation (heights are not exaggerated on this image).

The line would follow the existing straight alignment into Elbasan station, about 1 km from the city centre. The alignment is adequate for expansion, the station itself needs an upgrade.

The line would be 35-40 km long, station to station, depending on how favourable the geology is. The existing line from Durrës would be upgraded – from Durrës to the Shkumbin it is also the route to the south. The new Tirana – Elbasan line would carry passenger trains only. Even after the construction of new links to the east, most freight traffic through Elbasan will be to/from Durrës, not Tirana. (Alignments and services east of Elbasan are not considered further here). The new Tirana – Elbasan line will not allow very high speeds, because of the climb to the tunnel. A journey time of 20 minutes would be reasonable for the route: a journey time of 15 minutes would be very good.

This high-speed rail line (HSL) would be an extension of the proposed HSL Tiranë – Shkodër. At Podgorica, it would connect to the existing 476-km Belgrade – Bar railway, which links the Danube basin to the Adriatic. The line to the port of Bar was a major Yugoslavian project, but it was built for freight, and speeds were never high. After 20 years of war and neglect, it is no longer viable as a European passenger axis. A new parallel HSL would be a very difficult project, but it is a logical link to the rest of Europe, and there is no alternative route within 100 km. If this ‘trans-Montenegrin’ HSL was built, the line proposed here would complete the HSL route, from the Danube to Tiranë.

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Skadar lake and the mountains: heights are exaggerated

Podgorica and Shkodër are both located on the alluvial plains around Lake Skadar / Lake Shkodër. The foothills of the Albanian Alps / Prokletije are aligned north-east to south-west, and they reach the lake shore in places. Between the two cities is the broad Hotit arm of the lake (Humsko Blato / Hotski Zaliv), with two parallel ridges alongside it. The existing rail line curves around this inlet, with a short tunnel under one ridge. A direct route would need a long tunnel – or a 1500 m bridge, with approach tunnels under the ridges. That was all out of the question, when the single-track freight line was built in 1984. (It was out of service for many years, due to war, sabotage, and disorder).

Podgorica had a population of 136 000 at the 2003 census: that is certainly higher by now. It is home to at least a quarter of the Montenegro population. (With 58 000 inhabitants, Nikšić is the only other city, and also the terminus of the only other rail line , 57 km from Podgorica). Montenegro has no regional subdivisions, but about 300 000 people live in the southern inland part, with Podgorica as its centre. Shkodër has about 100 000 inhabitants: statistics are very unreliable, due to high internal and external migration in Albania. The District of Shkodër has about twice the city population. The only town between the two cities is Koplik (population about 10 000), 20 km from Shkodër. It is capital of Malësia e Madhe District.

The existing line between Podgorica and Shkodër is 63,5 km long. Podgorica station itself is large, and and has room for expansion: it is about 1500m from the central square (the present city was built mainly after the Second World War).

The region in 1904, Austro-Hungarian map from ELTE

The new line would turn south-east, just south of the station, toward the village of Tuzi (the existing line has a V-shaped diversion here). At Tuzi, the line reaches the foot of the northern ridge (the one alongside the Hotit arm). The simplest way to shorten the Podgorica – Shkodër route, is a base tunnel under this ridge. The western portal would be somewhere near Tuzi. Logically, the eastern portal would be at the head of the inlet (near Hani i Hotit, the border crossing on the existing line). However, the most direct base tunnel is 9 km long. With a portal south of Tuzi, it could be 2 km shorter, but that is still a major tunnel. The base tunnel would shorten the whole route by 4-5 km.

A more complex solution is a crossing of the Hotit arm: the alignment is the same for either a bridge or tunnel. The new line would follow the existing line past Tuzi, although with better curvature. Near the portal of the existing ridge tunnel, a new tunnel would start. Under the ridge, it would either climb, to access a bridge, or descend to tunnel under the lake. The lake is generally shallow, so the tunnel need not be deep, and the bridge need not be very high either. On the other side, another ridge tunnel would follow. The line would emerge near the Bajze freight terminal, on the existing line. It would then follow the existing alignment, for 28 km into Shkodër. The non-surface section (tunnel / bridge) would be 6 km long. This option could shorten the whole route by about 10 km, to 51-53 km. However, it is dependent on the local geology: the lake basin is a glacial depression filled with sediment, with underwater cave systems feeding it with fresh water.

If neither of these tunnel / bridge options is technically feasible, then the only alternative is an upgraded version of the present alignment around the inlet. A longer ridge tunnel could be built close to the existing one, and the curve at the head of the inlet widened. The total route length would remain at around 64 km.

After the Hotit arm, the new line across the plain to Shkodër is unproblematic. The area is almost flat, from 20m to 50m elevation. The HSL would run parallel to the existing line, although not exactly alongside it. Part of the old line was built alongside the main road, so all local traffic on side roads has to cross it. (At the time, Albania had almost no cars, and the line carried almost no trains anyway).

There is a sharp curve 4 km north of Shkodër station, but apart from that, the alignment itself allows expansion and upgrading. Part of the line in Shkodër directly adjoins the Kir river: in some places there are houses between the line and the river, but it is not a major barrier, since most of the city lies west of the rail line. The station itself is about 1500m from the city centre.

The alignments via a base tunnel, or across the Hotit arm, should allow a Podgorica – Shkodër journey time of under 20 minutes. With an alignment around the inlet, it might be 25 minutes. Journey time Podgorica – Tiranë, with one stop in Shkodër, should be around one hour. That would be a dramatic improvement for inter-regional travel, but maximum impact of the HSL route Podgorica – Tiranë depends on further HSL connections, to the north and to the south-west.

This proposed high-speed line (HSL) would link Tiranë (Tirana) and Shkodër, parallel to the existing line. It would be complementary to other new lines: a HSL from Shkodër to Podgorica, and a HSL south-east from Tiranë to Athina (Athens) and Thessaloniki, starting with a new line to Elbasan. A HSL north from Podgorica, parallel to the Lim valley line, would be very difficult to build, but could link these lines to a European HSL network. (All proposals here ignore current borders, and are made from a European perspective).

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The population of Albania is increasingly concentrated on the coastal plains. The plain between the three cities of Tiranë, Durrës and Shkodër, has a population of about 1.5 million. There are widely varying estimates of the population of Tiranë itself (400 000 up to 900 000). The city has been expanding north-west into the plain, by unregulated sprawl, with ribbon development along main roads. The sprawl has now reached the airport at Rinas. By western European standards this is a small regional airport, with 1,3 million passengers annually, but as numbers increase and the area becomes residential, it might have to be relocated.

The coastal plain between Tiranë and Shkodër, about 85 km apart. The vertical axis (height) is exaggerated on the images. Even at this scale, the sprawl and ribbon development around Tiranë is visible.

The existing rail line to Shkodër does not start in Tiranë itself, and its alignment is at first indirect. It diverges from the 1949 line to Durrës at Vorë, and it was slowly extended to Shkodër in the 1960’s and 1970’s. North of Mamurras, the alignment itself is reasonable – at the edge of the mountains (where the larger villages are located), with stations roughly 10 apart. However, the line was built for very low speeds, and it has been neglected for 20 years. The one daily service has an average speed of 29 km/h.

The proposed new line can be considered in four sections. The first is a new central station and Tiranë exit line. The present station is a dilapidated single platform. Tiranë has an obvious location for a new central station: under the huge central Skënderbej square (mainly asphalt). The station could be reached by a 1200m tunnel, from the existing approach tracks beside the Tirana river. More ambitiously, through a 5-km tunnel under the main Durrës road, which starts at the square, and extends in an almost straight line north-westwards. Further out, the tunnel could join the existing rail alignment toward Vorë, which is parallel to the road. All or part of the new alignment, could be used for an urban-regional metro line, to Durrës and the airport. Most of the Durrës road is very broad, and would allow construction of a 4-track tunnel, but the section nearest the square is narrower. Both central alignments could connect to a future south-western line, across the mountains to Elbasan. (The exact location of the central station it is not considered further here).

The second section of the new line would start from the existing alignment near Bërxull, and run almost due north to the airport. This would avoid the worst of the sprawl, but some demolition is inevitable. At the airport, the line could run on viaduct along the access road, with a station directly connected to the terminal. From there, the new line would again run north, to a new station on the west side of Fushë-Krujë. The growing town has a population of 24 000, the District of Krujë 78 000. (Fushë-Krujë means ‘Lower Krujë’, the historical town of Krujë is in the foothills to the east). Fushë-Krujë station would logically be situated on the western road out of the town. It is a logical terminal for an urban-regional metro (S-Bahn) from Tiranë. A short link from the old line to the airport would allow a similar service to/from Durrës, via Vorë.

From Fushë-Krujë, the third section of new line would run north to Lezhë. Near Mamurras, it would cross the existing line, which serves Mamurras itself, the district capital Laç (population 25 000), and Milot. In combination with the link Durrës – Vorë – airport, it would make sense to route all passenger trains over the new alignment, north of Fushë-Krujë. Regional trains would use a connection to the existing line at Mamurras (10-km joint section shown in red).

This would allow a better combination of services: a regional service Durrës – Vorë – - Fushë-Krujë – Shkodër, with interchange with fast inter-regional trains at Fushë-Krujë and Lezhë. (Two existing stations would be closed, but they don’t serve any large villages).

North of Mamurras, the new line would cross the plain and the river Mat, in a straight line to Lezhë station. Lezhë has a a population of about 17 000, the District of Lezhë about 68 000. The station is well located, but (besides reconstruction) the short tunnel just north of it needs to be replaced. The tunnel is needed to pass under a ridge here. At Lezhë the Drin flows through a gap in the hills, and there is barely enough room for the river and the road. The station must also allow for non-stopping trains, and for freight and regional trains on the existing line.

The fourth section of the new line would run from Lezhë to Shkodër. The existing line keeps to the eastern side of the plain – partly because it crosses the Drin again at the Vau-Deja dam (south-east of Shkodër), and partly to avoid several low hills in the middle of the plain. With a new Drin crossing more to the south of Shkodër, the new line can cut through the plain. Only one short tunnel would be needed, for an almost straight alignment. The new line would be faster, but not however much shorter than the existing 35-km section.

Shkodër is the only city between Tiranë and Podgorica. It has a population of about 85 000 (over 100 000 according to some sources), with about 185 000 in the District of Shkodër. The new line from the south would cross the river Kir into the station, which is just north of the river, and east of the centre. There is no sprawl on this side of the city, as yet, since the river is a barrier.

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The new line would be about 90 km long. Until there are connecting high-speed lines a fast inter-regional service is sufficient. With three intermediate stations, on a completely new line, a Tiranë – Shkodër journey time of under 40 minutes is feasible.

Revised with new maps: High-speed rail line Maastricht – Aachen.