Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway

Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway
Map showing the new standard gauge line.
Overview
System	Heavy rail
Status	In trial service
Termini	Sebeta, Ethiopia Port of Doraleh, Djibouti
Operation
Opened	5 October 2016 (5 October 2016)
Technical
Line length	756 km (470 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead line 25 kV AC
Operating speed	160 km/h (99 mph)
Route map Legend Sebeta Addis Ababa-Lebu Addis Ababa-Kality Bishoftu Modjo Adama Welenchiti Metehara Awash Asebot Mieso Mulu Afdem Bike Erer Dirē Dawa Shinle Harewa Adi Gala Aysha Dewele Ethiopia Djibouti border Guelile Ali Sabieh Holhol Djibouti - Nagad Port of Doraleh

The Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway (Chinese: 亚吉铁路) is a standard gauge railway that links Addis Ababa with the port of Djibouti, providing landlocked Ethiopia with railroad access to the sea. More than 95% of Ethiopia's trade passes through Djibouti, accounting for 70% of the activity at the port of Djibouti.^[1][2]

The railway was built between 2011 and 2016 by the China Railway Group and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation. Financing for the new line was provided by the Exim Bank of China, the China Development Bank, and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.^[3] A total of US$4 billion dollars were invested into the railway.^[4]

Trial service began in October 2016, and regular services are expected to begin in 2017.^[5] The standard-gauge railway replaces the abandoned Ethio-Djibouti Railway, a metre gauge railway that was originally built by the French between 1894 and 1917.^[6]

Route

For most of its length, the railway runs parallel to the abandoned metre-gauge Ethio-Djibouti Railway.^[6] However, the standard-gauge railway is built on a new, straighter right-of-way that allows for much higher speeds. New stations have been built outside of city centres, and the old stations have been abandoned.^[7][8]

The line is double-track for the first 115 km from Sebeta to Adama, and single-track from Adama to the sea.^[9] The railway begins in Sebeta, just outside of the Ethiopian capital city of Addis Ababa. Briefly entering the city of Addis Ababa to serve the main station, the line then skirts Mount Furi in a wide curve before turning east. At Bishoftu, it crosses over the Addis Ababa–Adama Expressway for the first time. The line then runs southeast alongside the expressway until reaching Adama, where it turns northeast towards Dire Dawa.

At Awash, there is a junction with the Mek'ele–Awash Railway, which is still under construction as of 2016. After passing Dire Dawa, the railway heads directly for Djibouti. Crossing the border between Dewele and Ali Sabieh, it reaches the Djibouti passenger terminal at Nagad, near Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport. Freight trains continue to the Port of Doraleh on diesel power.

History

As the Ethio-Djibouti Railway deteriorated from lack of maintenance, Ethiopia lost railroad access to the sea. The existing metre gauge railway had been originally built by the French between 1894 and 1917 and had all the deficiencies of a colonial-era railway, with steep gradients and tight curvatures.^[10] Since China was financing the construction of a standard gauge railway network in East Africa, Ethiopia and Djibouti chose to abandon the metre-gauge railway and build a new standard gauge link.

In 2011, the Ethiopian Railway Corporation awarded contracts to two Chinese state-owned companies for the construction of a new standard gauge railway from Addis Ababa to the Djibouti border. The 320 km stretch from Sebeta to Mieso was awarded to the China Railway Group,^[11] and the 339 km section from Mieso to the Djibouti border was awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.^[12] In 2012, Djibouti selected the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation to complete the final 100 km to the port of Djibouti.^[13]

In 2013, loans totaling $3 billion were secured from the Exim Bank of China, with $2.4 billion going to the Ethiopian section of the railway and the balance to be spent in Djibouti.^[14] The total costs of the railway amounted to $1.873 billion for the Sebeta-Mieso section, $1.12 billion for the Mieso-Dewele section and $525 million for the Dewele-Doraleh section.^[15]

20,000 Ethiopians and 5,000 Djiboutians were hired for construction work.^[16] Track-laying was completed on the Mieso-Djibouti segment of the project in June 2015.^[17] Although construction was still in progress on other sections, the completed portion of the railway was put into emergency operation in November 2015 to carry grain to drought-stricken Ethiopia.^[18][19] Farmers in Ethiopia had suffered crop failures of 50-90%, and the port of Djibouti backed up with ships waiting to unload grain.^[20]

The completed railway was formally inaugurated on 5 October 2016 by the presidents of Ethiopia and Djibouti.^[21] The two prime contractors have formed a consortium to operate the railway for the first 3–5 years, while local personnel are trained.^[15][22]

Standards

The Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway was built to the Chinese National Railway Class 2 Standard.^[23]

• Gauge: Standard gauge
• Couplers: AAR
• Brakes: Air
• Electrification: Overhead catenary 25 kV AC
• Maximum speed (passenger): 160 km/h (99 mph)^[24]
• Maximum speed (freight): 120 km/h (75 mph)^[24]
• Maximum train load (freight): 3,000 tonnes (3,000 long tons; 3,300 short tons) gross^[24]
• Minimum curve radius: 1,200 m (3,900 ft) (800 m or 2,600 ft at difficult locations)
• Normal gradient: ≤0.6 %
• Ruling gradient: <2.0 %
• Trains run on the: Left
• Train protection system: ETCS-2 SIL4^[25]

Electrification

The railway is powered by overhead catenary at 25 kV AC. Electrification ends after the Djibouti-Nagad passenger station. To avoid interfering with cranes at the port, freight trains switch to diesel power between Nagad and the Port of Doraleh.

Power is transmitted at 230 kV and 130 kV to 8 substations. Traction power is supplied at 40 km intervals, with 17 stations in Ethiopia and 3 in Djibouti.^[26]

Equipment

Locomotives

Rolling stock

Rolling stock was built by Norinco and at the Metals and Engineering Corporation facility in Dire Dawa.^[26][29]

See also

• Railway stations in Ethiopia
• Tanzania Zambia Railway, another Chinese-built railway in Africa.
• East African Railway Master Plan, railway network planned to be linked with this line.

References