Illegal crossings and lack of guardrails on railways also cause deaths in Kosovo, citizens complain, Infrakos says it is “working”

Illegal crossings and lack of guardrails on railways also lead to deaths in Kosovo, citizens complain, Infrakos says it is “working”

Only one of the 25 planned to be installed at railway crossings is located in Bardh i Madh. Providing railway crossings with adequate crossings and signaling is a necessary measure to guarantee the safety of citizens, significantly reducing the risk of accidents and enabling safe circulation for pedestrians and vehicles.

Illegal crossings at intersections between roads and railways, as well as the lack of guardrails, are considered by traffic experts to pose a great risk to pedestrians and drivers of vehicles that use them. And citizens who use them have expressed concerns about safety.

Ramiz Shala from the village of Qyshk in Peja, tells RTK-Radio that there was no washing at the railway crossing and that as a result of this, there have been fatal accidents in his family.

“The train at our crossing has not stopped and we are in danger. 3 people have died at this crossing. There was also a car accident involving my uncle but fortunately he survived. This happened earlier but we are still in danger,” he said.

Some citizens have also expressed concern about the lack of signal lights and other railway signals.

“Every year at least one or two deaths occur. There are ramps all over the world, but here we don’t. I don’t know the train schedule.”

“Safety is very low, normally when there are no crosswalks, there is no safety. I have seen fatal accidents at crosswalks where there are no crosswalks.”

“I don’t feel safe because there are no traffic lights or ramps. Even the damaged road is a pothole and then it becomes a queue. I don’t know the train schedule because it’s not written anywhere there.”

Of particular concern to traffic experts are illegal crossings and the lack of adequate signaling. Nol Dedaj, a professor in the field of traffic, adds the need for an audit of railways and their safety conditions.

In an email response to “Infrakos”, the company that manages the railways, it is confirmed that illegal railway crossings exist, especially in the Pristina-Fushë-Kosovo segment. Infrakos considers it an important project for the safety and development of railways in Kosovo, aiming for the project to continue with the installation of 25 level crossings, which represents a major step towards modernizing and improving safety at these level crossings.

The project has a value of 6 million euros, partially financed by the Government of the Republic of Kosovo and the World Bank, with half of the funds coming as a grant and the other part as a soft loan. Meanwhile, we are working in parallel to secure funds that will enable the expansion of this project to all critical crossings in Kosovo. Railway transport remains a key pillar for the economic development and regional connectivity of our country, therefore, to fulfill this potential, safety must be our absolute priority, it is stated, among other things, in the response of Infrakos.

Otherwise, “On the Fushë-Kosovo–Peja railway line, there are a total of 77 legal crossings and three illegal crossings. Of these, two crossings have access only from one business, which crossings are constantly demolished, but are again built by the same ones… On the Fushë-Kosovo–Prishtina railway line, there are six (6) legal crossings and four (4) illegal crossings,” the response from “Infrakos” states.