AFP, Addis Ababa :
With Chinese conductors at the helm, a fleet of shiny new trains will on Wednesday begin plying a new route from the Ethiopian capital to Djibouti, in a major boost to both economies. The 750 kilometre (460 mile) railway, built by two Chinese companies, will link Addis Ababa to the Red Sea port city of Djibouti in about 10 hours, a far cry from the current excruciating multi-day trip along a congested, pot-holed road.
“We’re so excited! It takes two or three days for a truck to come from Djibouti. The driver doesn’t answer his phone. We don’t know where he is and that can be a bit of a nightmare, said Ethiopian importer Tingrit Worku. “The train could make a huge difference”.
Some 1,500 trucks a day currently lumber along the road which carries 90 percent of imports and exports from landlocked Ethiopia to the port-a key trade hub to Asia, Europe and the rest of Africa. “This train is a game changer. Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. The connection to the ports (of Djibouti) will give a bounce and our economy will grow faster,” said Mekonnen Getachew, project manager of the Ethiopian Railways Corporation. The Horn of Africa country was the world’s fastest growing economy last year at 10.2 percent, however the International Monetary Fund estimates that the worst drought in 30 years is likely to see this plummet to 4.5 percent in 2016. Both countries benefit from economic integration, with Ethiopia gaining access to the sea and Djibouti gaining access to Ethiopia’s emerging market of 95 million people.
“It is the first standard gauge electrified railroad on the continent build with Chinese standard and technology, and certainly it will not be the last. Many stand to benefit from it,” Chinese ambassador to Ethiopia La Yifan said in a statement.
The new railway means the end of the historic French-built diesel line built in 1917, which fell into abandon in later decades, with frequent derailments. Wednesday’s inauguration will be followed by a three-month test period, with no paying passengers and carrying only cargo.
With Chinese conductors at the helm, a fleet of shiny new trains will on Wednesday begin plying a new route from the Ethiopian capital to Djibouti, in a major boost to both economies. The 750 kilometre (460 mile) railway, built by two Chinese companies, will link Addis Ababa to the Red Sea port city of Djibouti in about 10 hours, a far cry from the current excruciating multi-day trip along a congested, pot-holed road.
“We’re so excited! It takes two or three days for a truck to come from Djibouti. The driver doesn’t answer his phone. We don’t know where he is and that can be a bit of a nightmare, said Ethiopian importer Tingrit Worku. “The train could make a huge difference”.
Some 1,500 trucks a day currently lumber along the road which carries 90 percent of imports and exports from landlocked Ethiopia to the port-a key trade hub to Asia, Europe and the rest of Africa. “This train is a game changer. Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. The connection to the ports (of Djibouti) will give a bounce and our economy will grow faster,” said Mekonnen Getachew, project manager of the Ethiopian Railways Corporation. The Horn of Africa country was the world’s fastest growing economy last year at 10.2 percent, however the International Monetary Fund estimates that the worst drought in 30 years is likely to see this plummet to 4.5 percent in 2016. Both countries benefit from economic integration, with Ethiopia gaining access to the sea and Djibouti gaining access to Ethiopia’s emerging market of 95 million people.
“It is the first standard gauge electrified railroad on the continent build with Chinese standard and technology, and certainly it will not be the last. Many stand to benefit from it,” Chinese ambassador to Ethiopia La Yifan said in a statement.
The new railway means the end of the historic French-built diesel line built in 1917, which fell into abandon in later decades, with frequent derailments. Wednesday’s inauguration will be followed by a three-month test period, with no paying passengers and carrying only cargo.
