New railway opens new era in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA - Yusuf Abera still remembers his trips on Ethiopia's old railway during its last years in active service. They were hardly pleasant journeys, as trains were slow, noisy and often disrupted by mechanical glitches.

"It often broke down in the middle of a trip, and we had to wait for hours until it was repaired," said the 47-year-old.

It was only in 2018 when Abera switched back to trains, this time thanks to the opening of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway, or Ethiopia-Djibouti Standard Gauge Rail, the first transnational electrified railway in Africa.