Ethiopia-Djibouti Railway Begins Laying

HONG KONG - First overseas electric railway with a whole set of Chinese technology standards begins laying in Dire Dawa, an eastern city in Ethiopia.

Connecting Ethiopia capital Addis Ababa and Djibouti capital Djibouti city, the railway is another cross-nation one constructed by China overseas after the Uhuru Railway in 1970s. Length is 740 kilometres. Designed per-hour speed is 120 kilometres. 

Total investment is about USD 4 billion, of which about 70% is loans from the Export-Import Bank of China. It started construction in April 2012 and is expected to run into operation in October 2015.

CCECC of China Railway Construction Corp. General Manager Yuan Li said the laying marked a major periodic achievement.

Source: www.people.com.cn (May 09, 2014)