Kosovo Railways
Encyclopedia
Kosovo Railways J.S.C is the railway carrier of Kosovo
. It was originally formed as the UNMIK
Railways from the lines of the former Yugoslav Railways that lie on Kosovo territory, and is owned by the state.
guidance for the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer Orientaux
(CO), led by Maurice de Hirsch
. It started in Thessaloniki
, went on north to Skopje
and reached Kosovska Mitrovica
in 1873.
Before the First World War it was used by the Serbian Railways
which opperated as Yugoslav Railways between 1918 and 1992, and stoped their operations in Kosovo after the NATO intervention in 1999. In 2008 Serbian Railways restored some of its routes in Northern Kosovo region.
: A main line going from Kraljevo
in western Serbia
via Kosovska Mitrovica
and Kosovo Polje
to Skopje in Macedonia
, and a branch line in east-west direction from Niš
in southern Serbia via the capital Pristina
and Kosovo Polje with one branche leading to Peć
and the other one to Prizren
. Of these lines, the one from Pristina to Peć and the one from Kosovo Polje to Macedonia are still served by passenger trains. Some more parts of the network are occasionally served by freight trains, like Kosovo Polje - Obilić
; the other parts of the network are currently unused. For years, there have been plans to extend the branch to Prizren across the border to Albania
, to create a link to the network of the Hekurudha Shqiptare. However, these projects are currently no more than letters of intent.
- yes Serbia
- yes Albania
- no Montenegro
- no
Y1
DMU
s or a former NSB Di 3
with former SJ coaches. The InterCity trains usually consist of a Di 3 locomotive, one former SJ coach of Kosovo Railways and one Macedonian coach.
Between Pristina and Peć there are two daily local train pairs, with the train staying in Peć overnight. One trip takes close to two hours.
Between Kosovo Polje and Đeneral Janković (border to Macedonia), there are two Freedom of Movement train pairs and one local train pair. As the only international train connection there is also the InterCity train pair (IC 891/892) from Pristina via Kosovo Polje to Skopje and back. In direction of Kosovo Polje, all trains stop at all stations; in the other direction the trains skip various stations, only the local train in the evening stops everywhere. The trains need close to one and a half hours for the trip from Kosovo Polje to Đeneral Janković.
Until march 2008 there were two more Freedom of Movement train pairs from Kosovo Polje to Leshak, but this traffic had to be discontinued until further notice due to ongoing tensions with Serbia.
Incomplete list of regular freight services:
announced that they will seize control over the railway infrastructure lying in the Serbian part of Kosovo, including all personnel, and will resume traffic after having assured compliance to Serbian safety standards.
As of 2009, ŽS runs trains between Lešak (border station to Serbia) and Zvečan
near Mitrovica. There is both freight and passenger traffic, but without border control, since Serbia considers Kosovo to be part of its own territory. This leads to the situation that, for instance, fuel is transported into Kosovo territory, without toll being paid to the Kosovarian state. The political situation prevents any train traffic between Zvečan
and Mitrovica
(the line would be in operating condition). From Mitrovica, the line is, in principle, served by Kosovo Railways, but there is no regular freight or passenger traffic until Obiliq (freight) respectively Kosovo Polje
(passengers).
locomotives built by General Motors
, former NSB Di 3
locomotives ("NOHAB
s") imported from Norway (also a construction by General Motors, but build in Sweden by the NoHAB works), and a single Vossloh G1700-2 BB
. While all types of locomotives are used for freight trains, only the NoHABs are used to pull passenger trains, usually all trains between Kosovo Polje and Đeneral Janković, and rarely trains between Kosovo Polje and Peć.
. Sometimes, the Y1 are also used on the line to Đeneral Janković. There are also some former FS
class ALn 668
railcars available, but these are not needed any more since the delivery of the Y1 and are currently parked at Kosovo Polje.
.
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. It was originally formed as the UNMIK
United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo
The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo or UNMIK is the interim civilian administration in Kosovo, under the authority of the United Nations. The mission was established on 10 June 1999 by Security Council Resolution 1244...
Railways from the lines of the former Yugoslav Railways that lie on Kosovo territory, and is owned by the state.
History
The first railway line was built under TurkishTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
guidance for the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer Orientaux
Chemins de fer Orientaux
The Chemins de fer Orientaux was an Ottoman railway company operating in the northwestern Ottoman Empire. It served 2 main lines between Vienna and İstanbul with branch lines to nearby cities. The railway operated between 1869 and 1937...
(CO), led by Maurice de Hirsch
Maurice de Hirsch
Maurice de Hirsch was a German-Jewish philanthropist who set up charitable foundations to promote Jewish education and improve the lot of oppressed European Jewry. He was the founder of the Jewish Colonization Association which sponsored large-scale Jewish immigration to Argentina...
. It started in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, went on north to Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
and reached Kosovska Mitrovica
Kosovska Mitrovica
Kosovska Mitrovica , is a city and municipality in northern Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous district....
in 1873.
Before the First World War it was used by the Serbian Railways
Serbian Railways
Serbian Railways is the national railway carrier of Serbia. Its current network spans a distance of 4,347 km in length, with 32% electrified railways....
which opperated as Yugoslav Railways between 1918 and 1992, and stoped their operations in Kosovo after the NATO intervention in 1999. In 2008 Serbian Railways restored some of its routes in Northern Kosovo region.
Rail network
Kosovo Railways currently operate 430 km (267 mi) of railway in Kosovo, of which 333 km (207 mi) serve both freight and passenger and 97 km (60 mi) only serve freight traffic. The non-electrified network originally consisted of two lines crossing in Kosovo PoljeKosovo Polje
Kosovo Polje or Fushë Kosova is a town and municipality in the Pristina district of central Kosovo, at 42.63° North, 21.12° East, or approximately eight kilometres south-west of the capital Pristina...
: A main line going from Kraljevo
Kraljevo
Kraljevo is a city and municipality in central Serbia, built beside the river Ibar, 7 km west of its confluence with the Western Morava. It is located in the midst of an upland valley, between the mountains of Kotlenik in the north, and Stolovi in the south.In 2011 the city has population of...
in western Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
via Kosovska Mitrovica
Kosovska Mitrovica
Kosovska Mitrovica , is a city and municipality in northern Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous district....
and Kosovo Polje
Kosovo Polje
Kosovo Polje or Fushë Kosova is a town and municipality in the Pristina district of central Kosovo, at 42.63° North, 21.12° East, or approximately eight kilometres south-west of the capital Pristina...
to Skopje in Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
, and a branch line in east-west direction from Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
in southern Serbia via the capital Pristina
Pristina
Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....
and Kosovo Polje with one branche leading to Peć
Pec
Peć or Pejë is a city and municipality in north-western Kosovo and Metohija - Serbia, and the administrative centre of the homonymous district. Governor of city is Ali Berisha....
and the other one to Prizren
Prizren
Prizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.The city has a population of around 131,247 , mostly Albanians...
. Of these lines, the one from Pristina to Peć and the one from Kosovo Polje to Macedonia are still served by passenger trains. Some more parts of the network are occasionally served by freight trains, like Kosovo Polje - Obilić
Obilic
Obilić is a town and municipality in central Kosovo, belonging to the Pristina district. The municipality includes the town of Obilić and 19 villages, with a total population of approximately 21,548....
; the other parts of the network are currently unused. For years, there have been plans to extend the branch to Prizren across the border to Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, to create a link to the network of the Hekurudha Shqiptare. However, these projects are currently no more than letters of intent.
Rail links with adjacent countries
MacedoniaMakedonski Zeleznici
MŽ is the public enterprise for railway infrastructure in the Republic of Macedonia.The Republic of Macedonia is a member of the International Union of Railways...
- yes Serbia
Serbian Railways
Serbian Railways is the national railway carrier of Serbia. Its current network spans a distance of 4,347 km in length, with 32% electrified railways....
- yes Albania
Rail transport in Albania
The railways in Albania are administered by the national railway company Hekurudha Shqiptare . It operates a gauge rail system in Albania. All trains are hauled by Czech-built ČKD diesel-electric locomotives...
- no Montenegro
Railways of Montenegro
Rail transport in Montenegro is operated by three separate companies, which independently handle railway infrastructure, passenger transport and cargo transport.Montenegro is a member of the International Union of Railways...
- no
Passenger traffic
Kosovo Railways operate three services: Local train, Freedom of Movement and InterCity. Usually, the trains consist of either two former SJSJ AB
SJ is a government-owned passenger train operator in Sweden. SJ was created in 2000, out of the public transport division of Statens Järnvägar, when the former government agency was divided into six separate government-owned limited companies.-Overview:SJ's operations fall broadly into subsidised...
Y1
Y1 (railcar)
The Y1 is a diesel-hydraulic standard gauge railcar . It is in use in Croatia, Norway, Serbia, Kosovo and Sweden.The production of the railcars was begun in 1980 by Kalmar Verkstad and Fiat Ferroviaria for Sweden.- Italy :...
DMU
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s or a former NSB Di 3
NSB Di 3
NSB Di 3 is a class of 35 diesel-electric locomotives built by Nydqvist och Holm for the Norwegian State Railways . The class was built between 1954 and 1969, and delivered in two series, Di 3a and Di 3b. They are based on the Electro-Motive Division F7 and are equipped with EMD 567 engines...
with former SJ coaches. The InterCity trains usually consist of a Di 3 locomotive, one former SJ coach of Kosovo Railways and one Macedonian coach.
Between Pristina and Peć there are two daily local train pairs, with the train staying in Peć overnight. One trip takes close to two hours.
Between Kosovo Polje and Đeneral Janković (border to Macedonia), there are two Freedom of Movement train pairs and one local train pair. As the only international train connection there is also the InterCity train pair (IC 891/892) from Pristina via Kosovo Polje to Skopje and back. In direction of Kosovo Polje, all trains stop at all stations; in the other direction the trains skip various stations, only the local train in the evening stops everywhere. The trains need close to one and a half hours for the trip from Kosovo Polje to Đeneral Janković.
Until march 2008 there were two more Freedom of Movement train pairs from Kosovo Polje to Leshak, but this traffic had to be discontinued until further notice due to ongoing tensions with Serbia.
Freight traffic
National freight traffic is of importance, as it serves various plants like Calcium Carbonate plants and others all over the country. International freight traffic is handled via Đeneral Janković, and the container terminal is close to Pristina airport, near the Miradi station.Incomplete list of regular freight services:
- Coal from Obiliq (Kastriot) to the NewCoFerronikeli plant near Drenas. The coal cars are pulled to Obiliq station by a steam locomotive operated by the coal mine. Usually runs every second day.
- Ore trains from the Golesh mine (south-west of Pristina airport) to the NewCoFerronikeli plant. Usually daily.
- Several types of freight (containers, cisterns, bulk goods) between Đeneral Janković (from/to Macedonia) and Miradi, serving several private sidings en route. Usually daily.
Northern Kosovo
On March 3, 2008 (three weeks after the declaration of independence of Kosovo), the Serbian railways ŽSZS
ZS may refer to:* American Samoa World Meteorological Organization country code* Azzurra Air IATA airline designator* MG ZS, a car made by MG Rover* zettasiemens, an SI unit of electric conductance* Zombie Squad, a disaster preparedness group...
announced that they will seize control over the railway infrastructure lying in the Serbian part of Kosovo, including all personnel, and will resume traffic after having assured compliance to Serbian safety standards.
As of 2009, ŽS runs trains between Lešak (border station to Serbia) and Zvečan
Zvecan
Zvečan is a town and municipality in the Kosovska Mitrovica district of Kosovo. It is a part of North Kosovo, a region with an ethnic Serb majority that functions largely autonomously from the remainder of the ethnic-Albanian-majority Kosovo and Metohija. The municipality covers an area of , and...
near Mitrovica. There is both freight and passenger traffic, but without border control, since Serbia considers Kosovo to be part of its own territory. This leads to the situation that, for instance, fuel is transported into Kosovo territory, without toll being paid to the Kosovarian state. The political situation prevents any train traffic between Zvečan
Zvecan
Zvečan is a town and municipality in the Kosovska Mitrovica district of Kosovo. It is a part of North Kosovo, a region with an ethnic Serb majority that functions largely autonomously from the remainder of the ethnic-Albanian-majority Kosovo and Metohija. The municipality covers an area of , and...
and Mitrovica
Mitrovica
Mitrovica, which stems from the name "Saint Demetrius" or "Sveti Dimitrije" may refer to:- Places :* Kosovska Mitrovica, a city in the disputed region of Kosovo* Sremska Mitrovica, a city in Srem, Serbia...
(the line would be in operating condition). From Mitrovica, the line is, in principle, served by Kosovo Railways, but there is no regular freight or passenger traffic until Obiliq (freight) respectively Kosovo Polje
Kosovo Polje
Kosovo Polje or Fushë Kosova is a town and municipality in the Pristina district of central Kosovo, at 42.63° North, 21.12° East, or approximately eight kilometres south-west of the capital Pristina...
(passengers).
Rolling stock
The rolling stock partly stems from the former Yugoslav Railways, and was partly imported from various European countries.Locomotives
Three types of locomotives are in use. There are former Yugoslav diesel-electric class 661EMD G16
The EMD G16 is a diesel locomotive built by General Motors in the USA and under licence by Clyde Engineering in Australia and MACOSA in Spain. It has been used in Australia, Brazil, Egyptian Railways, Hong Kong, Israel Railways, Spain, Yugoslav Railways and on the successor Croatian Railways,...
locomotives built by General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
, former NSB Di 3
NSB Di 3
NSB Di 3 is a class of 35 diesel-electric locomotives built by Nydqvist och Holm for the Norwegian State Railways . The class was built between 1954 and 1969, and delivered in two series, Di 3a and Di 3b. They are based on the Electro-Motive Division F7 and are equipped with EMD 567 engines...
locomotives ("NOHAB
NOHAB
NOHAB was a manufacturing company in the city of Trollhättan, Sweden.The company was founded by Antenor Nydqvist, Johan Magnus Lidström and Carl Olof Holm in 1847 as Trollhättans Mekaniska Verkstad as a manufacturer of turbines for hydraulic power plants...
s") imported from Norway (also a construction by General Motors, but build in Sweden by the NoHAB works), and a single Vossloh G1700-2 BB
Vossloh G1700 BB
The Vossloh G1700 BB is a four axle B'B' medium power diesel-hydraulic locomotive manufactured by Vossloh Locomotives GmbH. in Kiel.The locomotive type is operated by private rail operators in Germany and Austria...
. While all types of locomotives are used for freight trains, only the NoHABs are used to pull passenger trains, usually all trains between Kosovo Polje and Đeneral Janković, and rarely trains between Kosovo Polje and Peć.
| Number | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 001 | Former JŽ 661 128 | De facto retired, used for spares |
| 002 | Former JŽ 661 132 | Operational, freight traffic |
| 003 | Former JŽ 661 228 | Operational, freight traffic |
| 004 | Former JŽ 661 231 | Operational, freight traffic |
| 005 | Former NSB Di3a 619 | Operational, passenger and freight traffic |
| 006 | Former NSB Di3a 633 | Broken electrical generator, in repair (July 2009) |
| 007 | Former NSB Di3b 641 | Operational, passenger and freight traffic |
| 008 | Former NSB Di3b 643 (VR KDs1 2402) | Operational, passenger and freight traffic |
| 009 | Vossloh G 1700-2 BB | Operational, freight traffic |
Diesel railcars
Normally, all trains between Kosovo Polje and Peć are run with former SJ class Y1 diesel railcars built by FiatFiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
. Sometimes, the Y1 are also used on the line to Đeneral Janković. There are also some former FS
Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato is a government-owned holding which manage infrastructure and service on the Italian rail network. The subsidiary Trenitalia is the main rail operator in Italy.-Organization:Ferrovie dello Stato subsidiaries are:...
class ALn 668
ALn 668
The ALn 668 is a family of diesel railcars built by Fiat Ferroviaria for usage by the FS, State railway company ....
railcars available, but these are not needed any more since the delivery of the Y1 and are currently parked at Kosovo Polje.
| Number | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1528, 1531, 1534 | Former FS ALn 668 | In principle operational, small defects, currently not needed |
| 01, 02, 03, 04 | Former SJ Y1 1281, 1304, 1306, 1313 | 01, 02, 04 operational, 03 unknown |
Carriages
Both carriages from the former Yugoslav Railways as well as second-hand carriages from all over Europe are available, however many of them not in operating condition. At the moment, all locomotive hauled passenger trains use former SJ coaches and, in the case of the InterCity, one carriage of Makedonski ŽelezniciMakedonski Zeleznici
MŽ is the public enterprise for railway infrastructure in the Republic of Macedonia.The Republic of Macedonia is a member of the International Union of Railways...
.