Fertilizer to be transported by train

A logistics delegation is looking at potentially transporting fertilizer via the electric Ethio-Djibouti railway line.
Mekonnen Abera, head of the Ethiopian Maritime Affairs Authority, logistics professionals, and General Director of the Ethio-Djibouti Railway SC (EDR), Tilahun Sarka arrived in Djibouti on Wednesday October 30 to evaluate the situation.
Mekonnen told Capital the visit would assess the condition in Djibouti and meet relevant bodies with the goal using the train to transport fertilizer.
Ethiopia and Djibouti concluded the modern electric railway system in 2017 to transport both cargo and travelers, but the railway line connecting the port to transport cargo directly from the recently built state of the art logistics facility in the region DMP, to central Ethiopia was still under construction.
Recently Capital reported that the railway line connecting Doraleh Multipurpose Port (DMP) to the main line was completed allowing it to begin scheduled cargo transport directly from inside the port.
Wahib Daher Aden, CEO of DMP, told Capital that the railway line that connects the port to the main line is expected to begin scheduled cargo transportation in the near future.
He was said that next step is for the joint corporation Ethio-Djibouti Railway Company to execute the planning to commence regular cargo transportation via railway, which is the only electric heavy railway line that connects two countries in the region.
The currently completed line, which is less than one kilometer from the mainline to inside the port, would allow cargo to get to the train directly whether containerized or bulk. The new achievement is expected to accelerate the cargo fleet to Addis Ababa and back to Djibouti.
The country has been importing fertilizer on trucks which are often delayed. For instance, in the past rainy season the transportation of fertilizer was late frequently because trucks had to also transport wheat, which was badly needed to stabilize the local market.
Experts stated that transporting fertilizer via rail harmonizes the business, since trains can carry more than trucks.
Mekonnen confidently stated that the rail will start transporting the product this year.
At the logistics conference held Monday October 28 at Hyatt Regency, Tilahun said that in 2018 the EDR system has managed to transport only 16 percent of containers, 4.4 percent of fertilizer and three percent of steel, while in the stated period, fertilizer imports amounted to 1.35 million metric tons.
So far EDR is not transporting wheat, vehicles or other major cargo that one might expect.