The Ethiopian Railway Corporation (ERC) is now developing the capability to carry out railway projects including design, engineering planning and construction. Ethiopia has been dependent on foreign contractors for the construction of their railways, China built the strategic Addis Ababa railway which Turkish and Swiss companies have built others. The path to build a railway industry is long and complicated so it is better to begin with modest projects.
On Oct. 8 the ERC announced it has reached the final construction phase on the first 4 km of a tourist railway designed and built entirely by Ethiopian engineers and technicians using local resources. The project has already produced Ethiopia’s first locally manufactured passenger train coach. The project has served to train young technicians in modern railway construction while involving nearby communities in the process. The use of simple, locally available equipment has reduced costs and foreign currency expenditure, while fostering a continuous work culture within the organization. The corporation is also working with local manufacturers to produce rail components and establishing a maintenance and assembly center, aiming to reduce reliance on imported materials. The project includes new stations and infrastructure to facilitate passenger access.
A second project was launched on Oct. 9 to build a 5 km railway line linking the Geda Economic Zone, located between Adama and Mojo, to the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway. The connection is expected to support large scale industrial transport and further strengthen Ethiopia’s logistics and export capacity. It is expected to be completed in six months.
