The Government of Albania and the European Investment Bank have signed an agreement for a EU financial package of EUR 90.5 million for the reconstruction of Durrës – Rrogozhina railway. An agreement was signed on April 8, 2025, during High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas’ official visit to Albania.
The funds consist of a EUR 60.5 million EU grant channelled under the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) and a EUR 30 million EIB Global loan. The agreement was signed by EIB Global Director of the Enlargement and Neighbourhood Department, Lionel Rapaille, and the Minister of Infrastructure and Energy of Albania, Belinda Balluku, in the presence of Vice-President Kallas and Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama.
“The signature of the European Investment Bank loan for the construction of the Durrës – Rrogozhina railway track as part of Corridor VIII, co-funded by the EU, is an important milestone. This project will create new jobs, enhance trade and improve connectivity by bringing Albania closer to its neighbours and close to the European Union,” the European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas said.
The funds will make it possible to modernise a 34 km railway line between the port of Durrës and Rrogozhina in central Albania, which lies on the multimodal Pan-European Corridor VIII connecting the southern Italian ports, Albania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria.
The reconstruction of Durrës – Rrogozhina railway is estimated at a total cost of EUR 121 million with EUR 30 million in co-financing to be provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
“The signing that took place is part of a massive investment programme in railway infrastructure. This is why the five-year period that separates us from the end of this decade will also be a period where railways return to Albania,” the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said.
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