A citizen who chooses to take the train to Rinas Airport in the future will not be able to reach the destination. The railway being built to connect Tirana and Durrës with the airport will leave passengers several hundred meters away from the terminal.
A change to the original project has moved the terminal station outside the airport grounds, creating a new problem for passengers: how will they cover the distance to the terminal?
Të lidhura
None found
Exclusive documents obtained by Top Channel show that this problem is not an unforeseen consequence of the project. On the contrary, a decision by Albanian Railways, backed by the Ministry of Infrastructure, led to the change in the station’s location.
In this document, dated October 21, 2021, and titled “APPROVAL OF THE CONSTRUCTION PERMIT FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE: ‘RECONSTRUCTION OF THE DURRËS-TIRANA RAILWAY LINE AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW RAILWAY LINE TO RINAS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’”, the initial project approved by the National Territorial Council provided for the station to be built just 60 meters from the terminal. But two years later, Albanian Railways, under the leadership of Ergys Verdho, presented two new alternatives: within the territory of the Air Force and opposite it.
At the time, the Ministry of Infrastructure, headed by Belinda Balluku, supported the second alternative through a response from Deputy Minister Hantin Bonati. This involved moving the station outside the airport grounds, opposite the Air Force, increasing the distance from the terminal to around 500 meters.
Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy: “From the perspective of the safety of the movement of vehicles and automobiles in the airport and road areas, based on the responsibilities for which the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy is accountable, and without disregarding or overlapping with the responsibilities set out in the sub-loan agreement and the project agreement, our opinion is that your assessment of the second option appears to be the most optimal.”
Under the new project, the station ends at kilometer 5+128, while the existing project provided for the line to end at kilometer 5+800. In other words, the railway segment is shortened by approximately 672 meters.
Albanian Railways considers this reduction a sound decision that would save institutional funds for use on other needs, according to the documents. It considers the distance a concern only in the case of passengers in wheelchairs and people with disabilities.
Albanian Railways: “It is an acceptable walking distance. In the case of passengers in wheelchairs, people with disabilities and those carrying luggage, an express ‘shuttle-navetta’ service will definitely be required. This service would operate under the passenger railway service, a relatively solvable issue given that the same principle exists at many other European airports.”
What stands out in the documentation is that state institutions have taken care to define the financial conditions and implementation deadlines, but not a final and detailed solution for transporting passengers to the terminal.
Sources told Top Channel that this change has also raised concerns for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. When officially asked, however, the bank said it was aware of the issue.
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development: “The EBRD is aware of the relocation of the railway station that will serve Tirana International Airport. The EBRD is working with Albanian Railways and other parties to assess the impacts of this change and identify an appropriate solution that ensures a safe and efficient connection for passengers between the railway station and the airport terminal.”
The EBRD reiterates that it is a co-financier, while stating that responsibility for the project’s implementation and decision-making lies with the Albanian institutions.
The Tirana-Rinas-Durrës railway, an investment of around 130 million euros by the Albanian government together with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, is expected to usher in a new era for Albanian railways, with a travel time of 22 minutes and a speed of 120 km/h.
A project that began with the aim of bringing the airport closer to rail transport must now also address the distance created by the change to the project itself. But while the projects continue on paper and on the ground, the question that Albanian Railways and the Ministry of Infrastructure still have to answer for citizens is: who will transport passengers to the terminal, and at what cost?
