The assignment will commence in September 2012 and have duration of 9 months at a cost estimate of Euro 1.2 million
TIRANA, Feb. 20 – London-based EBRD has been approached by the Albanian government to lead a technical cooperation project aimed at revitalizing Albanian railways, currently in a poor condition and used very little for passenger transport.
The joint EBRD Transport Ministry project will carry out a design of the key Durres-Tirana railway line, as the most efficient in passenger transport, and the financial/economic appraisal of the whole Albanian railway network. In an announcement published on the EBRD website, companies are invited for expression of interest for consultancy services until March 15, 2012.
The project’s two specific objectives are to provide all necessary documentation (detailed design, environmental impacts assessment, tender documents) that will allow the rehabilitation of the Durres-Tirana railway line, which has the first priority on the network. It will also make a rational prioritization of all existing rail lines of the network based on a comprehensive financial and economic appraisal that will allow the further investment in railways in the medium and long run. An additional objective is the transfer of knowledge and skills to state-owned Albanian Railway company, HSH, and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport. The assignment will commence in September 2012 and have duration of 9 months at a cost estimate of Euro 1.2 million, says the EBRD.
The Albanian railway company (Hekurudha Shqiptare – HSH) is responsible for rail infrastructure and rail operations on the Albanian rail network. There has been a prolonged period of low investment and maintenance work has been restricted to essential work only. The track is in workable but poor condition. The rolling stock is old and in need of renewal. Signalling is almost completely life expired. There is a need to provide a regular service of a quality that will attract passengers to the railway to ease the congestion on the road. The railway system in Albania was constructed to serve industry and still does so – the steel, cement and petroleum industries all use rail transport, says the EBRD
In a state of dilapidation and in constant lower revenues for the past 20 years, the state-owned Albanian Railways company has announced it will lay off 20 percent of its staff in the next few weeks. The cuts are part of a reform aimed at reducing losses in the bankrupt railway sector which costs the state budget more than 500 million lek (around 5 million dollars) each year.
