Railway failure: High Costs, Low Results

Initially, to attend high school lessons in Lipjan, and then to continue studies at the University of Pristina Economics Faculty (UP).

He shows that the train was the only public transportation vehicle in his village.

Our village is less than six miles [10 km] from the city of Lipjan and there is no bus line. The train came three times a day, was nearby, and I constantly used it for travel. It was up to 30 per cent cheaper than other tools”, says 30-year-old.

But in 2020 everything changed.

The train's rotation was interrupted, and with it, the opportunity for public transportation, it reads Periscope.

In the absence of alternatives, Vallon was forced to buy a car to go to his job every day at a commercial bank in Lipjan.

However, the hope of the return of the train remains alive.

When the train is back functional, I will continue to travel with it. There are many reasons for this: it is a comfortable, safe, more economical and faster journey. It always arrives at”, he says of Radio Free Europe (REL).

Why did the train stop?

Kosovo Fushe Khan of Elez, passing through several villages of Lipjan and using Valon, has been cut off because of the modernisation of the railways.

This line is part of the so-called Line 10 railway, measuring 149 km long, which includes segments: Kosovo Fush Han i Elez, bordering northern Macedonia, and Fushe Kosova Mitrovica Leshak, bordering Serbia.

Both cross-border segments are currently out of place. This is the only network that connects Kosovo with Western Balkan countries.

Works on rehabilitation of this line began in 2019, while the then government had promised that they would end in 2021.

But even now, in 2025, this line is not close.

And, according to a report by the National Audition Office (ZKA), it is impossible to complete even in 2027, because of the length of deadlines by the responsible authorities.

What does the audit report say?

In a report published in March 2025 on the “rehabilitation project of Elesey's 10 railway Hanım Line ʹ Leshak”, the ZKA shows that the financial agreement on the project was ratified in the Kosovo Assembly in 2016, while the first job contract was signed in 2019.

But only 60 percent of the first phase has been completed so far (Floish Kosovo Khan of Elez), 32 percent of the second phase (Kosovo Fush Mitrovica), and the third phase (Mitrovica ʹ Leshak) has not yet begun.

Meanwhile, the construction of 14 metal bridges, originally envisioned, has been removed from the contract.

The reasons for delays, according to the KA, are: poor communication between the parties, lack of experts on the ground, frequent changes of contracts, as well as demands for additional financing.

Although the deadline has been extended until 2027, according to the ZKA, the actual pace of the works leaves little room for optimism.

So far it has been spent 92.3m euros from 250m euros on the value of the project, which is financed through international loans and grants.

The Italian company, Generale Costrusion Ferreviarie (GCF), has been contracted by the Kosovo Railways Infrastructure (INFRAKOS) to do the work, while local subcontaminations are involved.

INFRACOS, which operates under the Ministry of Economy, did not answer REL's questions about the causes of delays, but in a letter of confirmation to the Black has indicated that “agrees with the report's findings and recommendations. ”

The Ministry of Economy has responded the same way.

Currently, the only functional line is that between Pristina and Pec, with already outdated trains.

“The lack of political will is keeping Kosovo without railway”

Sadullah Avdiu, retired engineer and former professor of Railway Projecting at the UP Faculty of Construction and Architecture, says 17 years after independence, it is unimaginable that Kosovo has failed to function the railway system.

If there was a will, the tools are. The loan has been taken for nearly ten years. But they have no priority and do not understand the importance of railways”, Avdiu points out.

According to Avdiu, the lack of railway network has burdened road traffic, brought delays, and increased accidents.

He stresses that after visa liberalisation for the Schengen area on January 1st, 2024, the creation of a good railway link with European Union countries (BE) is even more necessary.

“From this period has increased the flow of travel towards the EU, and train travel would be the proper and cost-long alternative, for students, seasonal or even family workers who visit their relatives”, he told REL.

Kosovo Railway

Even though the old line has not been completed, Kosovo is already intended to connect through a new railway with Albania.

On April 15th, the Durres Pristina Railway Line project -- which is scheduled to pass from Shkodra, Gjakova, and finally Pristina -- was published in Albania.

According to the joint feasibility study, this line will be 105km long, with 14 tunnels and seven stations, while the total cost is estimated at over 1.8 billion euros.

Kosovo's Infrastructure Ministry did not answer REL's question about how many miles they will be on Kosovo territory, and what is the cost that will be covered by the Government of Kosovo. /REL/