The Ethiopian Railway Corporation and the Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which aims at improving the overall efficiency and reliability of Ethiopian rail services.
“Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding represents an important milestone in strengthening the cooperation and laying the groundwork for potential future agreements. This partnership will bring tremendous benefits not only to the Ethiopian Railway Corporation, but also to the Ethiopian economy as a whole,” the CEO of Ethiopian Railways, Helina Belachew, said at signing ceremony.
By improving the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of the rail infrastructure, Ethiopian Railway expects that this collaboration will stimulate economic growth and development in the region as well improving Ethiopian rail services.
Ethiopian Railways “is committed to facilitating this collaboration by working with the relevant authorities and providing the necessary support,” Helina Belachew underlined.
“KORAIL is committed to supporting the advancement of Ethiopia’s railway infrastructure,” the Chief Executive Officer of Korea Railroad Corporation, Moon hee-Han, said. He added that there is a need for collaborative exploration of railway projects to enhance pan-African railway cooperation through overseas development assistance.
A Korea-Ethiopia rail working group has been stablished to facilitate the sharing of railway information and knowledge and business updates between the two countries. This group will serve as a forum for discussions and project status sharing between the railway systems of Korea and Ethiopia.
Currently, Ethiopia is constructing the 392 km Awash – Woldia/Hara Gebeya standard gauge line. A USD 1.7 billion engineering, procurement, and construction turnkey contract has been awarded to the Turkish company Yapi Merkezi and Systra, working as a consultant. The project also includes the construction of 10 substations, 52 different-size bridges, 8 power control stations and a maintenance centre.
The Awash – Gebeya rail line will connect the north of Ethiopia with Addis Ababa – Djibouti rail at Awash rail node providing Ethiopia with access to maritime transport through the Port of Djibouti.
USD 1.6 billion is the value of another project consisting of the construction of a 216 km standard gauge electrified line between Weldiya Hara Gebeya and Mekele. The project also involves the construction of 76 bridges, 370 culverts and 8 tunnels totalling 10 km, of which the largest tunnel is 3.7 km long.
The railway line starts from Weldiya towards Hara Gebeya and crosses the cities in the northern part of our country and reaches Mekelle City, which has a dry port. As the project will pass through different cities, it will have a great role in strengthening the social interaction of the society as well as for the development and economic benefit of the cities. China Communications Construction Corporation (CCCC) is responsible for the construction of the line while China International Engineering Consulting Corporation (CIECC) is working as a consultant.
The 752 km Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway with 19 stations is a landmark rail project for Ethiopia and its cross-border rail connection, which has been into operation since 2018. The electrified line allows trains to run at a speed of 120 km/h. USD 4 billion was the total value of the investment which was supported by a loan from the Export-Import Bank of China.
It should be noted that the Ethiopian Railways has been responsible for the Addis Ababa light rail line which was inaugurated in November 2015. The 17 km line, which is the first LRT in the eastern and sub-saharan Africa, connects the city centre with the industrial areas located in the south part of the city. Chinese China Railway Group Limited company (CREC) has built the line which is operated by 41 light rail vehicles.
USD 475 million was the total value of the project which has been 85% co-financed by a loan from the Export-Import Bank of China and 15% of its costs were covered by the state budget.
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