The Ethiopian Railways Corporation (ERC) says it is confident that the Ethio-Djibouti Railway project will be finalized within the Growth and Transformation Plan period which ends in mid-2015.
The 756kms long electrified railway, which links Addis Ababa to the Port of Doraleh in Djibouti, is a priority project within the GTP. "The construction within Ethiopia is now more than 20 percent complete," Getachew Betru (Eng.), CEO of ERC, told WIC recently. "Except for unforeseen circumstances, we do not see why we will not complete the project within the GTP period."
Djibouti launched the 100kms rail line within its territory last month during the third meeting of the joint Djibouti-Ethiopia coordination commission, Xinhua reported on September 17, 2013. The construction is divided into three segments with two Chinese companies undertaking the constructions in both countries. China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) is undertaking the construction of the 317km segment from Sebeta to Meiso.
The remaining 339km line, from Meiso to the border town of Dawale, and a further 100kms to the Red Sea port of Doraleh in Djibouti is being constructed by the China Civil Engineering Construction Cooperation (CCECC). The railway will have 17 major stations and passes through major cities including Bishoftu, Adama, Metehara and Dire Dawa.
The 107kms from Addis Ababa to Adama line is a double track while the rest 549 kms is a single track rail. The Ethio-Djibouti Railway is part of a proposed transportation corridor linking the East African nation of Djibouti to Libreville, Gabon (West Africa).
When completed the railway provides freight and passenger services reducing travel time to Djibouti port by half and fostering the socio-economic ties between the two countries. As part of the five-year GTP plan, Ethiopia is building a total of 2,400kms of national electric railway network and 34kms of light rail, in Addis Ababa.