On the afternoon of May 10 local time, the six-year achievement and future outlook of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway and the key-turning ceremony were held at the Labo Railway Station in Ethiopia, and the operation and maintenance service of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway was fully taken over by Ethiopian and Djibouti enterprises.
The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, stretching approximately 752.7 kilometers from Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, to the eastern port of Djibouti, stands as an early fruit of the "Belt and Road" Initiative and the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation's ten cooperation plans. It is the first standard-gauge transnational electrified railway in East Africa. This railway has forged a vital rail corridor to the sea for landlocked Ethiopia, significantly enhancing connectivity between Ethiopia and Djibouti and propelling industrialization and urbanization along its route.
Over the past six years, the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway has progressively introduced premium services, including cold chain logistics, morning and evening passenger trains, intercity convenience services, and dedicated vehicle transport trains. This has resulted in a steady increase in revenue, with an average annual growth rate of 39%. Concurrently, the Chinese operation and maintenance team has provided extensive training for numerous railway technicians associated with the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway. By the end of 2023, local professionals operating the railway surpassed the 3,000 mark, achieving localization in various key roles such as train conductors, engineering, locomotive maintenance, electrical systems, dispatching, transportation services, and senior management positions along the entire line.
