Ethio-Djibouti Rail Resumes Limited Service

The Ethio-Djibouti Railway has begun to resume some operations after it was suspended following a derailment in East Showa Zone of Oromia Regional State three weeks ago.

The service is once again transporting cargo such as wheat and fertiliser. However, restrictions apply to the current service, with trains unable to run at night or during bad weather conditions. It is not yet clear when the transportation of passengers may be permitted. 

The derailment resulted in a suspension of all services, the destruction of two trains and damaging of multiple wagons. The incident is thought to have been caused by flood damage to the tracks, and follows a former accident near Minjar Shenkora, North Shewa Amhara Regional State. 

In operation since January 2018, the railway has reduced the time it takes to travel between Djibouti and Addis Ababa from three days to 12 hours. It was constructed by China Railway Engineering Corporation and China Civil Engineering Construction Company, who have been retained by Ethio-Djibouti Standard Gauge Railway S.C. to operate the line.