Ethiopia, China discuss on enhancing cooperation in railway projects

Ethiopia’s Transport Minister Dagmawit Moges said she discussed with two Chinese diplomats on ways of further strengthening bilateral cooperation with an emphasis on railway projects.
The cooperation on railway projects was one of the areas that require strengthened bilateral cooperation among the two countries, said Dagmawit after a meeting with Zhao Zhiyuan, the newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, and Liu Yu, Minister-Counselor for Economic and Commercial Affairs of China to Ethiopia.
Ethiopia and China have in recent years developed strong cooperation in the development of the railway sector in the East African country, which includes the successful completion of two major railway projects including the Ethio-Djibouti Standard Gauge Railway and the Addis Ababa Light Railway project.
In September this year, the Ethio-Djibouti railway management disclosed over 51% increase in revenue during the first half of 2020 despite the difficulties brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the railway’s managing entity said on Friday.
The 756-km railway, which officially commenced its commercial operations for both passenger and freight services between landlocked Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa with ports in Djibouti in January 2018, has been instrumental in leveraging transportation needs of Ethiopia from its neighboring Red Sea nation of Djibouti.