History of rail transport in Albania
Encyclopedia
The history of rail transport in Albania may have begun as early as 1890. Until the end of World War II
, Albania's railways were all narrow gauge
lines, built to serve either minesites or military purposes. Only in 1947, following the takeover by the totalitarian regime of Enver Hoxha
, did Albania acquire its first standard gauge
public railway.
The Hoxha regime extensively promoted Albania's railway network, in particular by effectively prohibiting the use of private transport.
Since the collapse of the Hoxha regime, there has been a considerable increase in car ownership and bus usage in Albania. While some of the country's roads are still in a very poor condition, there have been other developments (such as the construction of a motorway between Tirana
and Durrës
) which have taken much traffic away from the railways.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Albania's railways were all narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
lines, built to serve either minesites or military purposes. Only in 1947, following the takeover by the totalitarian regime of Enver Hoxha
Enver Hoxha
Enver Halil Hoxha was a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary andthe leader of Albania from the end of World War II until his death in 1985, as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania...
, did Albania acquire its first standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
public railway.
The Hoxha regime extensively promoted Albania's railway network, in particular by effectively prohibiting the use of private transport.
Since the collapse of the Hoxha regime, there has been a considerable increase in car ownership and bus usage in Albania. While some of the country's roads are still in a very poor condition, there have been other developments (such as the construction of a motorway between Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
and Durrës
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
) which have taken much traffic away from the railways.
External links
- HSH Albanian Railways enthusiasts' site - includes a brief history of rail transport in Albania.