Kosovo's railway, a curiosity worth knowing about

The railway is the least talked-about part of getting around Kosovo, and for good reason. It exists, it has a history, but very few people use it. Here’s what I could check, and why it plays no part in my own plans.

A British footnote

Here’s a detail British readers might enjoy. Pristina municipality’s tourist brochure says the city got its first railway station in 1874, and that it was built by the British. Today the network is run by Trainkos, which, according to the footer of its own website, is based on Sheshi i Lirisë (Freedom Square) in Fushë Kosovë, the municipality next door to Pristina, about 8 km from the centre by road.

Which lines there are

I couldn’t read the lines on Trainkos’s website, because its timetable sits behind a search form that doesn’t return text. What OpenStreetMap does show is Trainkos routes from Fushë Kosovë to Peja, Mitrovica, Skopje and Pristina itself, plus a train route between Skopje and Pristina. Being on the map doesn’t guarantee a daily service on every stretch, so check the operator’s website or ask at the station first.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Pristina for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

How many people use it

This is the figure that tells the story. The Kosovo Agency of Statistics counted 87,781 rail passengers in the whole of 2025, about 7,300 a month, with October the busiest at 9,080 and January the quietest at 4,048. In 2024 it was 68,249, so it’s growing, but it’s still tiny next to the 4.5 million passengers at the airport. The first seven months of 2026 brought 49,555 passengers, a little ahead of the 48,254 over the same months of 2025, so the trend is gently upwards rather than a sudden revival. The same table shows no rail freight at all in any month of 2025.

Getting to the stations

Neither station in the Pristina area is central. OpenStreetMap puts Pristina’s station about 3.2 km from the centre by road and Fushë Kosovë’s 8.7 km, roughly 13 minutes by car. In Peja the station is closer in, 1.4 km from the centre. With luggage, I’d book a registered taxi, as gov.uk recommends; more in taxis in Kosovo.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Pristina on GetYourGuide.

Is it worth it?

If you like trains and the timing works, it could be a different way of reaching Peja. Peja’s station is close to the centre, which helps, and from Peja, Bogë in the Rugova valley is 29 km on by road. For getting around with any flexibility, though, buses and cars win easily. I compare every option in transport in Kosovo, and buses in particular in Kosovo buses.

And Interrail

People do search for Interrail routes through the Balkans. I haven’t found a page on the Interrail or Trainkos websites confirming the pass is valid in Kosovo, so I’m not saying it is. If your trip through the region is by rail, fit it into my Balkans itinerary, where the order with Serbia is what really matters.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Pristina for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.