In the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development system, which is one of the financiers of the Vorë-Hani i Hotit railway project, it has been announced that the tender for the rehabilitation of this line is expected to open this week. The procurement type includes goods, works, and consultancy.
Specifically, Albanian Railways, which is the contracting authority and the direct beneficiary of the funding, estimates that the procedure will open on 1 August.
“The aforementioned client intends to use part of the revenues from a loan/grant administered by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the Bank) for the cost of the above-mentioned project. The borrower has applied for co-financing from the following sources, with the estimated amounts: WBIF grants amounting to approximately €160 million, EBRD loans amounting to around €100 million, and EIB loans amounting to approximately €100 million. The Bank’s funding will be used for the rehabilitation of the 120.2 km railway line between Vorë and Hani i Hotit on the border with Montenegro, the only railway link of Albania with neighbouring countries. The total estimated value of the project is €356 million,” the announcement states.
According to the notice, contracts will be subject to the Bank’s procurement policies and rules and are open for participation by firms from any country, unless otherwise specified in the procurement documents. Procurement under this project will be carried out using the EBRD Client E-Procurement Portal (ECEPP).
Project
The project is part of the extension of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) in the Western Balkans, which will connect Albania with regional and European railway networks through the Pan-European Corridor X.
The Vorë-Hani i Hotit railway crosses seven municipalities and traverses the western lowlands of Albania, running from south to north. The railway connects the urban centres of Vorë, Mamurras, Laç, Milot, Lezhë, Shkodër, and Koplik.
It crosses the Albania/Montenegro state border at Hani i Hotit (km 140). According to the administrative division, the railway crosses the territories of seven municipalities (Vorë, Krujë, Kurbin, Lezhë, Vau Dejës, Shkodër, and Malësi e Madhe).
The existing Vorë-Hani i Hotit railway line was built in two phases: from Vorë to Laç in the early 1960s, and from Laç to the Albania-Montenegro border in 1985.
The earthquake of 29 November 2019 interrupted the operation of this line due to damage to the bridge over the Ishëm River, and even before that, the train speeds were very low.
