Trainkos

Trainkos is a Kosovo-based railway company and the country’s national rail carrier for passenger and freight operations. It was established in 2011 when Kosovo Railways, a public enterprise created under the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo after the 1999 Kosovo War, was divided into separate operating and infrastructure businesses. Trainkos took responsibility for train operations, while Infrakos became responsible for the railway network and related infrastructure. The company operates on a largely non-electrified railway system extending for approximately 430 kilometres. Around 333 kilometres are suitable for both passenger and freight movements, while approximately 97 kilometres are dedicated to freight use. The network historically formed part of a north-south route linking central Serbia, Kosovo and North Macedonia, together with east-west branches serving Pristina, Peja and Prizren. Its principal operating base is the Fushë Kosovë railway junction, which connects with Pristina and other parts of the network. Trainkos’s passenger business has included local services, Freedom of Movement services and InterCity trains. The Pristina–Peja corridor has traditionally carried local passenger trains, while services from Fushë Kosovë toward Hani i Elezit provide the principal route toward North Macedonia. The company has also operated an international InterCity service linking Pristina, Fushë Kosovë and Skopje, subject to infrastructure availability and service conditions. Passenger operations have used diesel multiple units and locomotive-hauled formations, reflecting the absence of widespread electrification. Freight is an important part of the company’s business. Trainkos transports industrial commodities including coal, ores, containers, bulk materials and liquid cargo. Freight services connect industrial sites, mines, private sidings and the container terminal near Pristina International Airport. International freight is handled through Hani i Elezit on the North Macedonian border. The company’s freight role gives it relevance beyond passenger mobility because Kosovo’s railway system supports mining, processing and other industrial activity. Trainkos operates in a politically and technically complex environment. Rail links toward northern Kosovo and Serbia have been affected by the political division surrounding Kosovo, while cross-border operations toward North Macedonia have depended on rehabilitation work. Passenger traffic toward Leshak was discontinued in 2008 amid continuing tensions involving northern Kosovo. Serbian railway services have separately operated in parts of northern Kosovo, creating a fragmented operating environment rather than a fully integrated national system. The company’s rolling stock has been assembled from equipment inherited from former Yugoslav railway operations and vehicles obtained from other European railways. Its fleet has included former Swedish Y1 diesel railcars, Norwegian Di 3 locomotives, former Yugoslav Class 661 locomotives, an EMD-derived GT22HW-2 locomotive, a Vossloh G1700-2 BB and various second-hand passenger coaches. This mixed fleet reflects the company’s reliance on imported and refurbished diesel equipment. Railway rehabilitation has been a major theme in Trainkos’s operating environment. Since 2019, Kosovo authorities and international financial institutions have supported phased modernization of the route between Hani i Elezit, Fushë Kosovë and the northern border. The projects have included track renewal, station refurbishment, tunnel repairs, level-crossing improvements, signalling, telecommunications and preparations for improved freight capacity. These infrastructure projects are principally managed through the railway infrastructure system rather than by Trainkos alone, but they directly affect the company’s ability to provide faster, safer and more reliable services. Trainkos therefore occupies a central position in Kosovo’s transport s…

Rail transport in Kosovo dates to the nineteenth century. The first railway reached the territory in 1873 under Ottoman administration as part of a route developed by the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer Orientaux. The line ran northward from Thessaloniki through Skopje to Mitrovica. After the Balkan Wars, the railway came under Serbian administration, and after the creation of Yugoslavia it was operated by Yugoslav Railways until the early 1990s. The Kosovo War transformed the institutional and operational setting. Serbian Railways ceased normal operations in Kosovo after 1999, after which the United Nations interim administration established Kosovo Railways as a public company. The new railway organization inherited a damaged, fragmented and largely diesel-operated network. Its services were affected by post-war reconstruction needs, the political status of Kosovo and the lack of seamless connections with surrounding railway systems. Following Kosovo’s declaration of independence, Kosovo Railways came under the management of the Kosovo government. In 2011, the railway enterprise was split into two successor companies. Trainkos assumed responsibility for operating passenger and freight trains, while Infrakos became responsible for managing the infrastructure. The restructuring was intended to separate train operations from network management and to reduce the concentration associated with a single railway monopoly. Trainkos’s operating network is centered on Fushë Kosovë, where the historical north-south and east-west routes intersect. The principal north-south corridor connects the area around Hani i Elezit and the North Macedonian border with Pristina, Fushë Kosovë and the northern part of Kosovo. The network also includes the passenger branch to Peja and routes historically extending toward Prizren and Serbia. Much of the network is currently unused or has only occasional freight activity. The route toward North Macedonia has also experienced periods of closure while rehabilitation work has proceeded. Passenger services have generally been organized into local, Freedom of Movement and InterCity categories. The Pristina–Peja route has been served by two daily train pairs in the operating timetable described in the reference material. Services from Fushë Kosovë toward Hani i Elezit have included local and Freedom of Movement trains, together with an InterCity connection to Skopje. Travel times and stopping patterns vary by service. The company’s passenger fleet has relied on diesel multiple units and locomotive-hauled trains because the network is not broadly electrified. Freight operations serve Kosovo’s mining and manufacturing base. Reported traffic has included coal from the Obiliq area to the NewCoFerronikeli plant, ore from the Golesh mine and containers, cisterns and bulk goods moving between Hani i Elezit and the Miradi area. Freight trains also use private sidings and industrial connections. These services make Trainkos an important logistics provider despite the limited size and uneven condition of the network. Northern Kosovo has presented a separate operating and political challenge. In 2008, Serbian Railways announced that it would resume control over railway infrastructure in the northern part of Kosovo. Serbian-operated passenger and freight trains subsequently ran between Kraljevo and North Kosovska Mitrovica without a conventional international border-control framework, reflecting Serbia’s position on Kosovo’s status. A proposed direct train to Belgrade in 2017 became the subject of a diplomatic dispute and did not develop into a sustained service. Trainkos has not controlled or regularly operated all railway territory claimed as part of Kosovo. Infrastructure modernization has shaped Trainkos’s more recent prospects. Beginning in 2019, Kosovo authorities pursued phased rehabilitation of the main corridor between Hani i Elezit, Fushë Kosovë, Mitrovicë and the northern border. Projects have involved track and tunnel work, stations, level crossings, roads, signalling, telecommunications and freight-capacity improvements. European and regional development institutions have participated through grants and loans. The improvements are intended to strengthen Kosovo’s connection with the Pan-European Corridor X and improve the operating conditions available to Trainkos. The company’s rolling stock combines inherited Yugoslav equipment with second-hand vehicles imported from European railways. Diesel locomotives include former Yugoslav Class 661 units, Norwegian Di 3 locomotives and newer or rebuilt EMD- and Vossloh-related equipment. Passenger operations have used former Swedish Y1 diesel railcars and locomotive-hauled coaches, including former Swedish and Macedonian vehicles. This diverse fleet provides operational flexibility but also creates maintenance and standardization challenges. Trainkos remains a strategically important but infrastructure-constrained railway operator. Its future performance depends on the completion and maintenance of network modernization, the restoration or expansion of viable passenger corridors, the development of freight demand and the resolution of political and cross-border operating barriers.

1. 2023Two tunnel repairs completed

   Repair work on two collapsed tunnels enabled rail travel again between Hani i Elezit and Fushë Kosovë.

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2. 2022European financing supports modernization

   The first phase of corridor modernization received European Investment Bank financing alongside grant support.

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3. 2019Mainline rehabilitation program begins

   Kosovo began steps to rehabilitate the principal corridor between Hani i Elezit and the northern border, a route associated with Pan-European Corridor X.

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4. 2017Proposed Belgrade–North Mitrovica train triggers diplomatic dispute

   A Serbian proposal to extend service to North Kosovska Mitrovica as a direct express connection to Belgrade led to a diplomatic incident and did not become a lasting connection.

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5. 2011Trainkos established

   Kosovo Railways was divided into Trainkos, responsible for train operations, and Infrakos, responsible for railway infrastructure.

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6. 2008Services toward Leshak suspended

   Passenger services from Fushë Kosovë toward Leshak were discontinued amid continuing tensions involving northern Kosovo.

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7. 1999Kosovo Railways established under UN administration

   Following the Kosovo War and the withdrawal of Serbian railway operations, the UN interim administration established Kosovo Railways as a public company.

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8. 1873First railway reaches Kosovo

   The first railway line in Kosovo was built as part of the Ottoman-era route from Thessaloniki through Skopje to Mitrovica.

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A national railway operator focused on passenger mobility and industrial freight in Kosovo, with a role in regional rail connections toward North Macedonia.

• Local passenger trainsPassenger rail

  Trainkos local services provide domestic rail mobility on selected Kosovo corridors. The Pristina–Peja route has been a principal local passenger line, with trains connecting the capital area, the Fushë Kosovë junction and western Kosovo. Services are diesel-operated and schedules depend on infrastructure availability and the condition of the operating network.

• Freedom of Movement servicesPassenger rail

  Freedom of Movement trains are regional passenger services operated on the Fushë Kosovë–Hani i Elezit corridor. They serve intermediate stations and support domestic travel toward the North Macedonian border. The service category reflects Kosovo’s post-war railway operating framework and is distinct from the company’s local and InterCity designations.

• InterCity Pristina–SkopjeInternational passenger rail

  Trainkos has operated an InterCity train pair linking Pristina and Skopje through Fushë Kosovë and Hani i Elezit. The service provides Kosovo’s principal international passenger rail connection, although its operation is dependent on the condition and availability of the cross-border route.

• Industrial freight servicesRail freight

  Trainkos transports industrial commodities for mines, processing plants and other businesses. Reported traffic has included coal, ores, containers, cisterns and bulk goods. Freight movements use industrial sidings and connect domestic production areas with Hani i Elezit and the container terminal near Pristina Airport.

• Mixed diesel rolling-stock operationsRailway operating capability

  The operating fleet includes former Yugoslav and imported European equipment. Passenger trains have used former Swedish Y1 diesel railcars, former Norwegian Di 3 locomotives and second-hand coaches, while freight operations have used several diesel locomotive types, including Class 661, Vossloh and EMD-related equipment.

• 2019Support phased rehabilitation of the main railway corridorStrategy

  Aging infrastructure and interrupted links toward North Macedonia and northern Kosovo constrained passenger and freight operations.

  What changed. Kosovo authorities initiated a multi-phase modernization program covering the Hani i Elezit–Fushë Kosovë, Fushë Kosovë–Mitrovicë and Mitrovicë–Leshak sections.

  Aftermath. The program supported tunnel, track, station, signalling, telecommunications and level-crossing improvements, including the reopening of the Hani i Elezit–Fushë Kosovë route after tunnel repairs.

  Reported total modernization financing. EUR 208 million (Reported for modernization of the route between the North Macedonian and Serbian borders)

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• 2011Separate train operations from infrastructure managementStrategy

  Kosovo’s public railway enterprise was restructured after independence, with the aim of separating train operations from infrastructure management and reducing the concentration associated with a single railway monopoly.

  What changed. Trainkos was created to operate passenger and freight trains, while Infrakos assumed responsibility for the railway network.

  Aftermath. The two-company structure became the basis for Kosovo’s railway sector, although Trainkos continued to face limitations caused by infrastructure condition, political divisions and the lack of electrification.

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• 2023Tunnel repairs restore the Hani i Elezit–Fushë Kosovë route

  Completion of work on two collapsed tunnels enabled trains to travel again between Hani i Elezit and Fushë Kosovë, improving the route connecting Kosovo with North Macedonia.

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• 2022Railway modernization program receives international financing

  The modernization of Kosovo’s main north-south railway corridor received financing from the European Investment Bank and other international institutions, supporting rehabilitation of track, tunnels, stations and railway systems.

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• 2011Trainkos and Infrakos created through the separation of Kosovo Railways

  Kosovo Railways was divided into an operating company, Trainkos, and an infrastructure company, Infrakos, as part of the restructuring and privatization of the former public railway enterprise.

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• 2008Passenger service toward Leshak discontinued

  Train services from Fushë Kosovë toward Leshak were suspended amid political tensions involving northern Kosovo and have not been restored as a regular Trainkos passenger service.

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1. Trainkos