Welcome…
Trainkos Sh.A, as a new company, began its activity on 1 September 2011. Up to this date it was Kosovo Railways that, besides its infrastructure, also covered train operations, both in the transport of goods and in the transport of passengers.
Kosovo Railways held a monopoly over railway operations due to the circumstances and organizational system of the past.
With the independence of Kosovo from the occupying forces, our society is making great efforts to, on the basis of the principles of democracy, among other things, also enable the free development of the market economy and competition.
Accordingly, based on this principle, the Government of Kosovo, on 26.02.2010, made the decision that Kosovo Railways Sh.A be split into two public companies: the Infrastructure of Kosovo Railways Sh.A – INFRAKOS, and the Train Operations of Kosovo Railways Sh.A – TRAINKOS.
The Government's decision on this split was preceded by a request from the European Commission, put before us as a standard that had to be fulfilled in order to move towards European integration. The realization of this decision was achieved on 1 September 2011. Therefore, we can say that from this date, Trainkos Sh.A, as the successor to Kosovo Railways, becomes the first operator in the field of train operations.
In 2012, when the Network Statement is expected to be approved, the process of splitting HK can be considered fully complete, and only after this does Kosovo complete the construction of the legal basis for the possibility of introducing other railway operators into its market, whether domestic or foreign operators.
But the history of Trainkos is not only this. It is linked to the great social, political and scientific changes, to the industrial revolution and its momentum, 137 years ago when, in Kosovo, the first railway line was built, on the Hani i Elezit – Fushë Kosovë – Mitrovica route, precisely in the year 1874. In the years that followed, other railway lines were also built, which extend over 333.451 km of open line and industrial lines reaching a length of 103.4 km.
Today the railway lines connect all the most important centers of Kosovo except Gjakova and Gjilan. The lines of Kosovo Railways have
a direct connection also with neighboring states such as Macedonia and Serbia, and through them also with other states of the region, thus ensuring for our lines
an international connection as well.
All the stages of the development of railway communication in Kosovo are linked to various rulers and occupiers of the time, who had interests different from, and even contrary to, the interests of our population. Their goal was often not linked to the development and progress of this country, but to the use and exploitation of its very rich natural resources. In this sense, the development of rail transport was a great opportunity for them. It was the period of the rule of the Ottoman Empire when the first railway line was built in Kosovo; afterwards there were also not insignificant other influences in this respect from the Austro-Hungarians, the Serbo-Slavic occupation, up to the time of the construction of the independent state of the Republic of Kosovo.
The start of freight transport by rail replaced the previous transport by animals; railways developed very quickly, so that for a long time they held the primacy of general land transport. With the start of the development of the industry for the production of road transport vehicles, the loss of the primacy of rail transport also began. Nevertheless, until the 1960s the railway remained the main carrier of minerals and
heavy industry products. Even so, rail transport continues today to be very important and to have a high impact both on
economic development and on the social aspect.
The most developed countries have invested so much in rail transport, integrating scientific and technological achievements within this field. In these countries the absence of rail transport can hardly even be imagined. That is why we too are aiming for such development, because the benefit will be all-encompassing.
So, despite the development of other means of transport, rail transport still continues to have certain advantages over them. These advantages can be defined in terms of the ecological aspect, that of safety, speed, accuracy, but it is not behind in comfort either. The development and use of rail transport would also greatly affect the relief of roads and highways from heavy vehicle traffic, especially from
heavy road carriers. In this way the lifespan of these roads would also be extended, and above all many human lives would be saved.