Durres-Rrogozhine – Albanian Telegraphic Agency.

Government ratifies EUR 60.5 million EU grant for Durrës – Rrogozhinë railway upgrade

Urim Shera — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 14:32:18 +0000

TIRANA, Sept 13 /ATA/- Albania’s government has ratified a EUR 60.5 million European Union grant to modernise the Durrës – Rrogozhinë railway, a key section of the pan-European Corridor VIII, Deputy Prime Minister and acting Energy and Infrastructure Minister Belinda Balluku said on Saturday.

Balluku called the line a strategic transport link connecting Albania, Italy, North Macedonia and Bulgaria that will deliver civilian, economic and military benefits.

“The investment totals EUR 120.5 million and will be covered through the EU grant and loans from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB),” she said.

The 34-km electrified railway will connect the port city of Durrës with Rrogozhinë, providing an additional transport option for passengers and freight. Officials said the project is part of the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans and an expansion of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).

The remaining financing includes a EUR 30 million EBRD loan, while the total cost has been estimated at EUR 121 million. Corridor VIII, stretching 172 km through the region, is considered a crucial multimodal route linking southern Italian ports to Albania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria, serving both infrastructure and energy transport needs.

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EU foreign policy chief Kallas: Durrës-Rrogozhinë railway reconstruction to create new jobs, enhance trade

Urim Shera — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 16:04:06 +0000

TIRANA, April 8 /ATA/ – The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, also Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, hailed Tuesday the signing of the European Investment Bank’s agreement for the Durrës to Rrogozhinë railway project.

In a post on the social media, the EU’s foreign policy chief said that construction of the Durrës–Rrogozhinë railway, part of Corridor VIII, will create new jobs, enhance trade, and improve connectivity, bringing Albania closer to its neighbours and the EU.

“I was pleased to witness the signing of an agreement between Albania and the European Investment Bank to reconstruct the railway between the port of Durrës and Rrogozhinë. This will create new jobs, enhance trade, and improve connectivity, bringing Albania closer to its neighbours and the EU,” Kallas wrote.

EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas visited Albania today. Kallas was received by Prime Minister Edi Rama, and the President of Republic Bajram Begaj.

Kallas also attended the EU-Albania Security and Defense Dialogue and the signing ceremony of the agreement with EIB on reconstruction of Durrës-Rrogozhinë railway.

The official visit to Tirana is part of her first trip to the Western Balkans, with stops in Montenegro, Albania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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