Addis Ababa–Djibouti electrified railway
Ferrocarril eléctrico Adís Abeba–Yibuti
- Date
- 2016 · confidence medium
- Place
- Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Credited to
- China Railway Group, China Civil Engineering Construction and the governments of Ethiopia and Djibouti
- Field
- Movement
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A standard-gauge line of about 750 km, electrified, between Addis Ababa and the port of Doraleh in Djibouti. It is presented as Africa's first transnational electrified railway and gave Ethiopia a link to the sea again.
It was inaugurated in October 2016 and began full operation in January 2018. The 'first' claim depends on counting only electrified standard-gauge lines; the historic Addis–Djibouti railway was metre gauge (1917).
What it led to
- Ethiopian exports through Djibouti with less time and cost
- industrial zones in the corridor, such as Dire Dawa