The Ethiopian government inaugurated on October 5, 2016, a railway that links Addis Ababa to Djibouti’s port. The 756-km infrastructure took four years to be built and cost $3.4 billion of which 70% were provided by Chinese Exim Bank.

The line will improve access to Ethiopia and boost trade with Djibouti. “This train will allow Djibouti people and Ethiopians to travel with more ease, but also take some load off an overburdened corridor, therefore allow more goods to be conveyed,” Djibouti’s Ambassador to Addis Ababa Mohamed Idriss Farah told Le Monde.

“It will minimize the cost of the transport and transport time,” said Ethiopian Railways Corporation (ERC) communications manager, Dereje Tefera.

For now, rates for goods and passengers have not been fixed. The train will effectively receive its first passengers only after a test period ranging between 3 to 6 months.

Alain Okpeitcha