1st LD: Ethiopia, Djibouti launch Africa's first modern electrified railway

Ethiopia and Djibouti launched on Wednesday Africa's first modern electrified railway connecting their respective capitals.

The 752.7-km Ethiopia-Djibouti railway was inaugurated in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in a grand ceremony.

The railway has a designed hourly speed of 120 kilometers. It was constructed by China Railway Group and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation with a total investment of 4 billion U.S. dollars.

It is expected to reduce travel time from seven days on roads to about 10 hours, and provide landlocked Ethiopia with a faster access to the Djibouti port. There have also been high expectations on the railway to boost industrialization along its route.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, said the project, in which the Chinese companies have showed their technical capability, would boost trade and economic ties between Ethiopia and Djibouti.

The premier has commended the Chinese government and its people for the cooperation and the support extended to the success of the project.

Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh, said the project goes beyond railway, and shows the ability of working together to overcome challenges and build good infrastructure on the African continent.

"Too often, we hear that Africa must bridge the gap in infrastructure, and too often, we are told why it can not be done," the president said.

However, Guelleh said China, as a partner in the railway project and many others, "has stood by us and has been instrumental in the infrastructural transformation of Africa." Endit