Rail transport in Ethiopia

Current railroad routes in Ethiopia

Rail transport in Ethiopia currently consists of one electrified standard gauge rail line, the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway, which began freight operations in October 2016, and the Addis Ababa Light Rail, which opened in 2015.

The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway is the first part of a planned railway network that will link landlocked Ethiopia to its neighbors. The Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway was constructed and is operated by Chinese contractor CREC. It currently carries only freight, with passenger service planned for early 2017.[1] A 400 km long rail line from Awash to Hara Gebeya is currently under construction by Turkish company Yapi Merkezi with various European subcontractors.

The Addis Ababa-Dhibouti railway parallels meter-gauge Ethio-Djibouti Railways, between Addis Ababa and Djibouti. This line began operating between Dire Dawa and Djibouti in 1901, and was later extended to Addis Ababa. Through trains have not run on the line since 2008.

Standard gauge network

The Ethiopian Railway Corporation has plans for several new lines including links to adjacent countries and further afield. ERC will build these in two phases.[2]

The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway connects Addis Ababa to the Port of Djibouti on the Gulf of Aden. The railway began freight operations in October 2016.

A railway from Mek'ele to Awash will link the capital with northern Ethiopia by connecting to the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway at Awash. Construction on the railway began in February 2015. The China Communications Construction Company is the prime contractor for the northern half of the railway, from Mek'ele to Weldiya.[3] Funding for the $1.5 billion northern segment was provided by the Exim Bank of China.[4] Yapı Merkezi is responsible for the southern half of the railway, from Weldiya to Awash. Funding for the $1.7 billion southern segment was provided by a consortium of lenders, including Türk Eximbank, the Swedish National Export Credits Guarantee Board, Denmark's Export Credit Board, and Swiss Export Risk Insurance.[5]

A railway from Addis Ababa to Bedele will run westward from the capital to Bedele. The prime contractor is Andrade Gutierrez, and funding was provided by the Brazilian Development Bank. Construction on the project began in May 2015.[5]

A railway from Weldiya to Tadjoura will provide Ethiopia with a second outlet to the sea at the port of Tadjoura in Djibouti. The line will connect to the Mek'ele-Awash railway at Weldiya. The project is being supervised by the Overseas Infrastructure Alliance (India), and the Indian government has committed $300 million so far with the funding coming from the Indian government. However, the project has been delayed five times and has not yet been tendered as of May 2015.[5]

Light rail

The Addis Ababa Light Rail was completed in January 2016 and started operations in August 2015.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Ethiopia-Djibouti electric railway line opens". BBC News. 5 October 2016. Accessed 3 November 2016.
  2. ↑ http://www.erc.gov.et/index.php/projects/national-railway-network-of-ethiopianrne.html
  3. ↑ "Foundation stone laid for northern Ethiopia line". Railway Gazette. 25 February 2015. Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn laid a ceremonial foundation stone for the Mek'ele – Weldiya/Hara Gebeya railway project on February 18. The 220 km electrified mixed-traffic route is being built by China Communications Construction Co under a US$1·5bn contract.
  4. ↑ "Swiss bank approves $865 mln loan for Awash-Weldiya railway project". Archived from the original on June 24, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Molinari, Michele (June 3, 2015). "Ethiopia turns big plans into reality". International Railway Journal. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015.
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