Marianna Raizner works as a student assistant for the media programmes team at Clean Energy Wire.
Losing track in green transition: Albania and Kosovo’s challenging journey towards railway revitalisation
Jeta: For me, the biggest challenge was to get information about Kosovo’s infrastructure, especially about the work that has been done over the years in developing the railways. It was likewise hard to get answers from the authorities – it often took weeks for them to share their concrete plans.
Arlis: The biggest challenge in working on this project was also the lack of information. It was difficult to find infrastructure experts who specialise in railway development. Everyone was stunned when I asked them questions about revitalising the railway network. The last time Albanians boarded a train was shortly after World War II.
Jeta: I have worked as a journalist for years and have direct contact with experts in different fields.
Arlis: Via my network I found a retired engineer who had constructed railways before, and his help was invaluable. We should know the past to understand where we are going.
Jeta: The biggest ‘aha moment’ for me came when a transportation expert told me that the region could have received trams as a gift from Turkey and Austria. As a citizen of Kosovo, I had never heard of this offer and it would have been really helpful, but it was never accepted by our government.
Arlis: The project that seems to be prioritised is a rail line between the centre of the Albanian capital Tirana and the village of Rinas, where the country’s international airport is located. The government appears to focus on areas of international importance.
"Our cross-border collaboration helped me recognise solutions by looking at the wider context."
Arlis: It showed me that although we live in different countries, we face the same problems. Our cross-border collaboration helped me recognise solutions by looking at the wider context.
Jeta: We held regular exchanges with Arlis and this helped a lot. We assessed our progress at least once a week.
Jeta: I would strongly recommend that all journalists take part in such projects, because they give them a much better understanding of where their respective countries stand on issues that have relevance across borders.
By ATV Television, Kosovo
By Portali Vizion, Albania