By James Jeffrey
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — Across the Ethiopian countryside 2,000km (1,243 miles) of railway is being built, the first phase of an endeavour to create a new 5,000km network.
Currently no British companies are involved, despite Ethiopia approaching the UK for assistance at the start, and the project being constructed according to official UK railway industry standards.
The centrepiece of the new rail system is the planned line between Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, and the neighbouring country of Djibouti.
So far about a quarter of the preparation work has been completed on this key route, which will enable land-locked Ethiopia to access Djibouti City’s port on the Horn of Africa coast.
Meanwhile in Addis Ababa, construction of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) – similar to London’s Docklands Light Railway – will give the capital its first mass transit system, transforming mobility in a city where nearly 90% of the population travel on foot, or by squeezing in to buses and taxis.
Both projects began in early 2012 and are joint ventures between the Ethiopian government and Chinese companies that successfully bid for the $3.3bn (£2.2bn) Addis-Djibouti contract, and the $500m LRT project.
Read more at BBC.
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