# ETHIOPIA | Railways



## Simfan34 (Oct 9, 2009)

While it may not be HSR, it certainly is a lot for a country that currently has only one railway line.



> Ethiopia launches construction of massive railway network
> 
> Sunday 26 September 2010 printSend this article by mail Send
> 
> ...


A couple of schematics.









First phase, by 2015.









Second phase, by 2020.









The logo of the Ethiopian Railway Corporation. Whether this is something close to a train on the network or just wishful thinking eludes me.


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## Simfan34 (Oct 9, 2009)

Did I mention it's being built by China? :lol:


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## Simfan34 (Oct 9, 2009)

> Grand designs from Ethiopian Railway Corp
> 11 September 2009
> 
> ETHIOPIA: Dr Getachew Betru is a man with a vision. As Director of the Ethiopian Railway Corp, he has been charged by the country’s government with planning and developing a 5 000 km standard-gauge rail network over the next seven years.
> ...


..


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## Luli Pop (Jun 14, 2010)

Simfan34 said:


> Did I mention it's being built by China? :lol:


no need for that, it's obvious!

goog for Ethiopia!


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## Simfan34 (Oct 9, 2009)

Luli Pop said:


> no need for that, it's obvious!
> 
> goog for Ethiopia!


Yes, they do seem to be building everyone's railroads these days...

Will keep you folks updated!


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## mopc (Jan 31, 2005)

any updates?


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## healthsman (Dec 6, 2011)

Very nice! I like .thanks.


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## wlama (Nov 15, 2008)

News by http://allafrica.com/stories/201309080131.html

Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency
Djibouti: Dire Dawa - Djibouti Railways Resumes Service
BY NESRU JEMAL, 6 SEPTEMBER 2013



> Ayele Wondwosen, Head of the Ethio-Djibouti Railway Organization told members of the press that maintenance of the old railway line from Dire Dawa to Djibouti has now been completed and trial operations have started.
> 
> The trains will carry passengers from Dire Dawa to Djibouti three days a week. According to Ayele, delay in the maintenance being carried out by an Italian company contracted to overhaul 100 kms of line out of a total of 208 kms within Ethiopia was the reason why the service had been suspended.
> 
> ...


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## wlama (Nov 15, 2008)

http://allafrica.com/stories/201309090128.html

Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency 
Ethiopia: AA-LRT Project to Be Completed After Two Years
BY NESRU JEMAL, 6 SEPTEMBER 2013



> The Ethiopian Railways Corporation (ERC) said that the Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit (AA-LRT) project is being executed according to schedule despite the heavy rainy season.
> 
> According to Behailu Sintayehu, Project Manager, the project would be completed after two years. The 34km double track electrified light rail transit project 43 percent of whose construction has already been done is expected to cross all 10 sub cities of Addis Ababa.
> 
> ...


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

Is that rail network being connected to the sea, possibly via Dschibuti and/or Kenia?


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## Swede (Aug 24, 2002)

Slartibartfas said:


> Is that rail network being connected to the sea, possibly via Dschibuti and/or Kenia?


It is already connected! Read the article two posts up from your own  

The wiki artcile seems somewhat reliable: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Ethiopia


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## rheintram (Mar 5, 2008)

When I was there about two years ago the whole rail network was pretty much dysfunctional.


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## wlama (Nov 15, 2008)

Prequel to news cited yesterday:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=103578005&postcount=1



> Agreement Signed For US$2 Billion Chinese Loan For 756-KM Addis-Djibouti
> 
> ADDIS ABABA, May 23 (BERNAMA-NNN-ENA) -- Ethiopia, Djibouti and China have signed an agreement for a loan of more than US$2.0 billion from China's Export-Import Bank for the construction of the 756-kilometre Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway project.
> 
> ...


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## Gadiri (Oct 30, 2009)

^^



> *NEW COACHES FOR ETHIOPIA​*
> On *January 29, 2014* In Ethiopia
> 
> The Addis-Ababa to Djibouti railway, currently being rebuilt from metre-gauge to standard 1,435mm, is to get new coaches. This has to happen of course, because nothing existing in the country will fit the wider gauge. *Thirty vehicles* are to be supplied *by CNR Changchun*, two of them diners.* Twenty will be economy class* with what the Chinese call “hard seats”; four will be “hard sleepers”, and four “soft sleepers”.


- See more at: http://www.railwaysafrica.com/blog/2014/01/29/new-coaches-for-ethiopia/#sthash.Cve8Lk8p.dpuf

Company Catalogue . I don't know which "25 Serie" will be delivered.


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## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

Today:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...-dalian-locomotives-exported-to-ethiopia.html
> 
> *CNR Dalian locomotives exported to Ethiopia*
> 22 Mar 2014
> ...


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## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...ba-djibouti-electric-locomotives-ordered.html
> 
> *Addis Abeba - Djibouti electric locomotives ordered*
> 30 Jun 2014
> ...


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## Swede (Aug 24, 2002)

The last few artivles posted have all been about the Addis Abeba - Djibuti line. The older news mentioned 4 other lines stretching out from Addis. Any news concerning those lines?


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## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...ne-to-be-equipped-with-ertms.html?channel=542
> 
> *New Ethiopian line to be equipped with ERTMS*
> Thursday, October 09, 2014
> ...


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## Swede (Aug 24, 2002)

So China is funding Ethiopia's rail system & providing the locomotives and the signalling system will be the EU standard? 
Yet another country not forced by the EU to adopt ERTMS is adopting it anyway. This time a system basically funded by the Chinese? Europe and China seem to both be pushing for ERTMS and it seems to be taking over in many parts of the world (if slowly).


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## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

Swede said:


> So China is funding Ethiopia's rail system & providing the locomotives and the signalling system will be the EU standard?
> Yet another country not forced by the EU to adopt ERTMS is adopting it anyway. This time a system basically funded by the Chinese? Europe and China seem to both be pushing for ERTMS and it seems to be taking over in many parts of the world (if slowly).


I don't know, but soon we will have war of signals


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## Aaraldi (Dec 6, 2014)

*Weldia - Mekele Railway*

Back in February 2015 the Ethiopian government held a big ceremony to launch the construction of the 220 km long and electrified railway line. China Communications Construction Company was named as contractor and China Eximbank was supposed to fund the $1,6 billion project. Since then no news about this project until a fellow forum member shared the following pictures with us.

First the location on map:












LaoTze said:


> *Weldia - Mekele Railway, Northern Ethiopia*
> 
> 
> 
> ...





LaoTze said:


> ^^Mai Celfo Tunnel
> 
> 
> 
> ...





LaoTze said:


> ^^ For the Awash - Mekele Line, the section between Awash & Weldia was awarded to the Turkish contractor Yapi Merkezi while the section between Weldia & Mekele was awarded to the Chinese contractor CCCC. Within the Chinese section, there will be 6 tunnels namely Aroley 1, Aroley 2, Addi Onfito, Serghiem, Mai Celfo and Kokele, with Mai Celfo and Kokele (as shown above) being the longest.


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## Aaraldi (Dec 6, 2014)

Dan Paul said:


>


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## Aaraldi (Dec 6, 2014)

Sebeta-Adama double track section:




























Game-changing railway hallmarks the ‘African Renaissance’ - Interview with Dr Getachew Betru, CEO of the Ethiopian Railways Corporation


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## Aaraldi (Dec 6, 2014)

Sebeta-Adama double track section



LaoTze said:


> ^^ training course





LaoTze said:


>


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## Aaraldi (Dec 6, 2014)

Edit: Here is a map with all projects under construction:










http://www.ccrs.uzh.ch/dam/jcr:2d5c8a4a-14f4-49b2-beb6-9ec95c3c5bda/Slides%20M.%20Molinari.pdf


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## JuaanAcosta (Sep 28, 2014)

All this new lines are going to be electrified? Or just some sections (like double-track ones, or the ones closer to Addis and Adama)?


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## Aaraldi (Dec 6, 2014)

JuaanAcosta said:


> All this new lines are going to be electrified? Or just some sections (like double-track ones, or the ones closer to Addis and Adama)?


with the exception of some freight yards and (dry-)port sections all lines are going to be electrified.

Ethiopia generates 99.5 percent of its electricity from hydro power and tariffs around 4,7 cents per Kwh.


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## Aaraldi (Dec 6, 2014)

From wikipedia:


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## Sunfuns (Mar 26, 2012)

What kind crazy map is that showing Djibouti in Eritrean possession? :lol:


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## Aaraldi (Dec 6, 2014)

[/QUOTE]


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## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...ine-to-start-trial-operation.html?channel=538
> 
> *Ethiopia - Djibouti standard-gauge line to start trial operation*
> Friday, August 12, 2016
> ...


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## Aaraldi (Dec 6, 2014)

LaoTze said:


> *source*


^^ In six days interim service will be launched.


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## Aaraldi (Dec 6, 2014)

[/QUOTE]


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## rakcancer (Sep 2, 2010)

Huge railway progress. Congrats to Ethiopia. Is there any particular reason China is so much involved in railway development in Ethiopia? Is this a part of improvement in transportation of natural resources in Ethiopia that China needs? Just curious.


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## Aaraldi (Dec 6, 2014)

rakcancer said:


> Huge railway progress. Congrats to Ethiopia. Is there any particular reason China is so much involved in railway development in Ethiopia? Is this a part of improvement in transportation of natural resources in Ethiopia that China needs? Just curious.


Ethiopia doesn't have natural resources that would justify such an investment. Prior to the rail link Ethiopia's imports were trucked 700 km from Djibouti. Transporting a container from Djibouti to Addis Ababa costs more than three timres than shipping it from Shanghai to Djibouti. With this new rail line open transportation costs (-and time) will come down and imports from China ($5 billion in 2014) are becoming more competitive. Also Chinese companies are trying to outsource labor-intensive production lines (like shoes and clothing). Ethiopian factory workers costs only a tenth of a Chinese worker while their productivity is at 30%. Summa summarum Ethiopia is a fast growing market of 100 million people that without the railway could not be opened up for Chinese products and further economic interests.


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## Aaraldi (Dec 6, 2014)

LaoTze said:


> According to CCECC, trial service is now scheduled on 5th October, 2016.
> 
> 
> 
> ...























LaoTze said:


> ^^ setting up the stage for tomorrow's ceremony
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## tjrgx (Oct 12, 2013)

*Ethiopia-Djibouti railway: Travel time reduced from 10 days to 10 hours*

*Ethiopia-Djibouti railway: Travel time reduced from 10 days to 10 hours*




Ethiopia opens a multibillion-dollar railway line this Wednesday. The 7 50-kilometre track links the capital Addis Ababa with the port of Djibouti. The project took four years to complete and has cost more than three billion dollars. 70 per cent of the money came from a loan from Chinese banks, while the remaining 30 per cent was covered by the Ethiopian government. The trip between Addis Ababa and the port of Djibouti used to take 10 days, but the railway line cuts that to 10 hours.

*Ethiopia plans to use Ethiopia-Djibouti railway to boost its economy*





*Ethiopia-Djibouti railway project benefits local engineers *




With the Chinese-made Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway going into operation on Wednesday, the Ethiopian government is keen to ensure that technology transfer happens as fast as possible so that Ethiopians themselves have control of this important piece of new infrastructure. The huge project has also created opportunities for local engineers. CCTV's Coletta Wanjohi caught up with one of them.


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## Turf (Mar 19, 2009)

BBC also has an article on it http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-37562177

what is the status with the riots and burning of business/farms I read lately?


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## tjrgx (Oct 12, 2013)

*656km Ethiopia-Djibouti railway project creates jobs & business opportunities*

Ethiopia is all set to commission a multi-million dollar railway line linking the capital Addis Ababa with the port of Djibouti. The infrastructure project will ease transportation between the two cities which took at least 10 days. Girum Chala has details on the expected impact of the railway line.


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## Aaraldi (Dec 6, 2014)

> A $3.4 billion Chinese-built railway linking the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa and the port city of Djibouti opened Wednesday, a boost to both African countries’ economies and an important milestone for Chinese investments in Africa. FRANCE24's François Picard joins Eric Olander, co-host of the China-Africa podcast


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