Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
The man in seat 61 has added a section to his website about getting to Albania overland using the info I sent him.
Railways of Albania
- Thread starter teuchter
- Start date
teuchter
je suis teuchter
A depressing footnote to this thread, just 4 or 5 years later:
The journey I did from Pogradec to Tirana is no longer possible. Apparently services ceased on that line a couple of years after I did it, and it looks like the track may be dismantled completely. I guess it'll go the way of so many other rail routes - at some point in the future people will recognise that it would be rather useful to still have it, and that what it needed was some investment so that it could actually compete with other modes. But by then critical parts of the trackbed will probably have been built over, and maybe the other bits of the albanian network will have died in succession. The money will all have been spent on motorways full of freight that could have gone by rail and anyone without a car will have to make do with buses. Hello Mr Beeching.
Also, Tirana station has now been closed. Apparently a new one is being built further out of town. So, another move to make the railways even less attractive. I expect the old, centrally located one will be replaced with something like a shopping centre with giant car park, and again, in the future people will wonder why a prime location was given up.
This kind of stuff happened 50 or 60 years ago in Britain, and now we regret it. So frustrating to see these mistakes being made over and over again.
I suppose I'm glad I did that journey when it was still an option. But it makes me really sad looking back at the pictures, knowing that it's a journey no-one will make again, now.
The journey I did from Pogradec to Tirana is no longer possible. Apparently services ceased on that line a couple of years after I did it, and it looks like the track may be dismantled completely. I guess it'll go the way of so many other rail routes - at some point in the future people will recognise that it would be rather useful to still have it, and that what it needed was some investment so that it could actually compete with other modes. But by then critical parts of the trackbed will probably have been built over, and maybe the other bits of the albanian network will have died in succession. The money will all have been spent on motorways full of freight that could have gone by rail and anyone without a car will have to make do with buses. Hello Mr Beeching.
Also, Tirana station has now been closed. Apparently a new one is being built further out of town. So, another move to make the railways even less attractive. I expect the old, centrally located one will be replaced with something like a shopping centre with giant car park, and again, in the future people will wonder why a prime location was given up.
This kind of stuff happened 50 or 60 years ago in Britain, and now we regret it. So frustrating to see these mistakes being made over and over again.
I suppose I'm glad I did that journey when it was still an option. But it makes me really sad looking back at the pictures, knowing that it's a journey no-one will make again, now.
not-bono-ever
meh
good man- i remember this thread now!
We arrived in podgorica on the O/N from Beograd in 2004? hoping to get the Pod-Skod train, only to find it was freight only, so took a merc 240D informal taxi into Skod & on from there by train IIRC
the durres to tir train was zactly as you showed- being all 3rd class bench seats/ flapping doors and random stops.
may have some pics somewhere to add
We arrived in podgorica on the O/N from Beograd in 2004? hoping to get the Pod-Skod train, only to find it was freight only, so took a merc 240D informal taxi into Skod & on from there by train IIRC
the durres to tir train was zactly as you showed- being all 3rd class bench seats/ flapping doors and random stops.
may have some pics somewhere to add
teuchter
je suis teuchter
Yes, I did that in reverse to exit from Albania. Merc taxi from Shkoder to somewhere near the border and then i think there was a bus along the coast to Podgorica where I got a train to Belgrade.
not-bono-ever
meh
Just going to bump this for future ref and to let people see the pics again
Steel Icarus
we move
Railways of Albania is such a great slacker/indie rock band name.
Steel Icarus
we move
And so is Pylons of Cadiz (Google it)
teuchter
je suis teuchter
I think the railway is in pretty dire straits. I can't really bear to look up the latest news as every time I do, it's bad. Lines being ripped up to make way for road building projects, no money being invested, etc etc. It's very sad. Glad I did my trip while it was still possible - but my memories of it now seem poignant.I just tried to find the Albanian railway website... gone?
Casually Red
tomorrow belongs to me
They were great pics , really enjoyed reading that one . Cheers .
iamwithnail
Well-Known Member
Great thread, thanks for this!
not-bono-ever
meh
teuchter
je suis teuchter
There is a facebook page I half follow, about Albanian Railways,
Hekurudha në Shqipëri
Hekurudha në Shqipëri. 1,533 likes · 111 talking about this. Information and photos about the railways in Albania.
www.facebook.com
and I think I read there that there is in fact a plan to get that line back into action. I don't know how reliable that info is though, or whether it's a plan that has a chance of actually happening.
In general the railway network appears to limp on, in even more reduced form than when I was there. It seems damage was done during the earthquake which severed the line to Shkoder, and things got cut back even more during Covid.
However there do seem to be some signs of modernisation happening so perhaps there is hope. I don't follow it in enough detail to have a clear picture though.
teuchter
je suis teuchter
Whereabouts on the line did you take those photos not-bono-ever ?
Just had a look through my old photos in case either location happened to pop up.
I do have this of going through a tunnel but a bit inconclusive
Just had a look through my old photos in case either location happened to pop up.
I do have this of going through a tunnel but a bit inconclusive
not-bono-ever
meh
Google Maps
Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
Google Maps
Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
c 20k outside elbasan, heading east- after the 2x big bridges
eta, there are vehicle tracks across the line and houses being built on the land from what I saw in that area- not sure of legailty but yeh....
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not-bono-ever
meh
Great thread! I was in Tirana last year and it feels like it's developing rapidly. Really enjoyed it and noted the abandoned railway tracks on the drive to Ohrid. It looked like there were a few landslips in places too - hopefully they'll keep the rights of way etc although I suspect it'd be a big project to bring it back to any usable state. The roads weren't great either mind - quite twisty old roads rather than motorways.
not-bono-ever
meh
iamwithnail
Well-Known Member
The Serbians will not like that.
