Hekurudha Shqiptare

Hekurudha Shqiptare or HSH (Albanian Railways) is the state-owned operator of the Albanian railway system and became a private company in 2005. The system's main passenger terminal was Durrës railway station in the port city of Durrës. HSH's infrastructure used to run east to Pogradec (up to Librazhd ), south to Vlorë and north to Shkodër. There was also a branch line to the capital Tirana (up to Kashar, 10 km away ). 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 North Macedonia or Greece. The HSH network was entirely unelectrified, and trains were hauled by Czechoslovak T-669 diesel-electric locomotives. The system was basically single-track throughout, with passing loops at various points. Second-hand passenger rolling stock from Germany's DB and former DR, Italy's FS, Austria's ÖBB, and Poland's PKP was used. Trains suffered internal and external damage from vandalism, including the stoning of locomotives and carriages. Further problems arose from landslide damage to sections of the track or because lengths of rail were stolen for iron scrap. As of 2023 the system is barely surviving with an Elbasan Durrës train and a Shkoder Lac train that lasts until June 13, although there are some plans to rehabilitate parts of the network in the future. Recent upgrades and new lines