The British Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo has called for the urgent strengthening of railway safety in Kosovo.

In a statement, the Chamber said that railway safety in Kosovo requires coordinated and sustained national action following continued accidents at crossings and ongoing infrastructure shortcomings compared to evolving European safety standards.

Although consolidated official statistics on the latest railway accidents have not yet been published, recent local reports indicate multiple incidents at level crossings, including fatal collisions.

“In April 2025, a train collided with a vehicle in Jagoda, Klina, resulting in one fatality and three injuries. A recent accident in 2026 near the Adem Jashari Military Barracks close to Pristina, where a train struck a vehicle, ended with the death of a member of the Kosovo Security Force. These incidents highlight the ongoing risks at rail-road crossings and underscore the urgent need for structural improvements,” the statement said.

Previous regional assessments, including reports by the Transport Community, show that a significant proportion of railway accidents in Kosovo occur at level crossings. Of approximately 267 railway crossings across the country, the majority remain passively protected, lacking automatic barriers, flashing lights or audible warning systems. This percentage remains significantly higher than in many European Union member states, where a larger share of crossings are equipped with active protection systems.

The British Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo called for coordinated national action.

“Improving railway safety is not merely an infrastructure issue — it is fundamentally a public safety imperative. Reducing fatalities and serious injuries requires sustained political commitment, targeted investment, institutional strengthening and the adoption of proven European best practices.

By modernising level crossings, upgrading signalling systems, strengthening regulatory frameworks and investing in professional competency systems, Kosovo can significantly reduce accident rates, increase public confidence and progressively align with European railway safety standards,” the statement concluded.