The new railway will consist of 5000km of track, mainly to transport goods. It will also be electrified to take advantage of Ethiopia's huge hydro-electric power potential. Head of the project, Getachew Betru, says the rail network will make a huge contribution to Ethiopia's development. He said poor transport links were one of Ethiopia's reasons for remaining in poverty.
The country's only railway system running from the capital Addis Ababa to neighbouring country, Djibouti was built in the early 1900s and is in very poor condition. The government is still looking for partners to build the railway.
Article courtesy of Panos London (www.panos.org.uk).
