The cargo railway line connecting Djibouti port to the heart of Ethiopia has a capacity of transporting 3,500 tonnes at a time in about ten hours.
By Julia Steers, Nathalie Tissot, & Vincent Dublange (FRANCE 24)
In eastern Africa, you can now reliably take the train from Ethiopia’s capital to neighboring Djibouti. The new railway line – built and paid for by China – went into operation a few weeks ago. Over a century ago, the French had already built a rail line between the two African nations. It essentially stopped worked ten years ago, but a few cars kept running. Now, in cities where the old line stopped, expectations for the new one are high. FRANCE 24 correspondents report. (A program prepared by Patrick Lovett, Gaëlle Essoo, Hannah Gay and Florence Viala)
The cargo train connecting Djibouti port to the heart of Ethiopia has a capacity of transporting 3,500 tonnes at a time in about ten hours. That makes a huge difference compared to formerly transporting the same cargo size using 70 trucks in 3-4 days’ time.
Many see the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway not only as a means of transportation for goods and people from one part of Africa to the other. This is also one of the best examples…a promising sign for future cooperation between China and Africa.
“It’s the face of China in Africa… It’s the best and modern railway that connects Ethiopia and Djibouti, and by far for the future it will connect also up to Senegal. So its economic importance is very big for both countries.” Ethiopian Ambassador to Djibouti, Shamebo Fitamo Adebo said.
“As similar to its predecessor, this railway will also play an important role in the integration of the two countries, which will facilitate the transportation of people and goods.” Head of Djibouti trail project, Mohamed Khaire Roble said. Read more here.
Source: FRANCE 24