Bashkia Durrës, Northern Albania, Albania
Don't even think of taking a rail holiday through Albania, it certainly will not be featured on "The World's Most Scenic Railways".
In 1947, the first rail system was laid in Albania. late starters in the game one could say!
During the Hoxa period, when virtually private motorised transport was prohibited for ordinary folk the railways did expand and became the main source of transport until the fall of communism in 1990.
From 1991, onwards a bright new dawn, yet the railways, what there were fell into a state of disrepair, the car became widely owned across the country.
As of 2022 the only train service operating in the whole of Albania is between Durrës and Elbasan (and that is only one return trip on weekends).
So you see I just wandered off the streets and ended up on the platform and then just walked into these open carriages.
Sadly the door to the locomotive was locked and I did wonder why there was a bike on its runner.
Hekurudha Shqiptare or HSH, the Albanian Railways, came out of state ownership in 2000, and is now a Ltd. Company owned by the state. ( how the fuck that works beats me)
I think CKD Praha, Czechoslovakia were rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of selling these locos to HSH
The grand timetable!!
That looked interesting, so I wandered over. Although it was a bit of a climb and squeeze through the end carriage portal your intrepid train spotter was in!
I guess these were not first class carriages
Although the great man never visited Albania his works are well read and appreciated here, and there is a bar named after him in Tirana.
Needy
So its back out through the window I guess
So the track to Elbasan heads off into the distance, a distance of 46 miles of rickety old track. I wonder if the driver knows that in the UK he could be earning circa 60k euros and still go on strike for more. Greedy bastards.
