Ethiopia has launched new 750 km railway on 4th October, which will connect the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa with Djibouti, the Red Sea port city. Two Chinese companies have helped the African country to build the brand-new railway.
Hailemariam Desalegn, the prime minister of Ethiopia along with his counterpart Ismael Omar Guelleh from Djibouti has been welcomed to the inauguration at the new station, outside the capital city on Tuesday.
Hailemariam Desalegn has informed, “This train will speed up the development of our country’s manufacturing industry and it will provide huge benefits to the industrial parks and modern farms that will be built in the future. It will give employment opportunities for our citizens.”
The new railway will be the first electrified railway system in entire Africa. The train will connect Djibouti with Ethiopia in around 10 hours of time, which used to take multiple days previously.
Ethiopian importer Tingrit Worku has rejoiced the arrival of the new train as it used to take two or three days for a truck to come from Djibouti. He also thinks that the new train has the ability to make huge difference.
The project manager of the Ethiopian Railways Corporation, Mekonnen Getachew has informed, “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.”
The new trains will be tested for three months, where the train will stop at Dire Dawa, Dewele and Mieso. After becoming completely functional, uniformed Chinese controllers will take charge of the newly built clean stations. Getachew has informed that they have a management contract with the Chinese staff for five years. In the meantime, the Ethiopian staffs will be trained.
China Civil Engineering Construction, China Railway Group and the Exim Bank of china has come together to launch the $3.4 billion Ethiopian railway.
