The source said that the company will improve the system and import modern locomotives because the existing are old and of poor quality.
The source noted that the rail transportation sector will compete with other forms of transportation provided that the talks become fruitful.
COMAZAR, a South African registered company was negotiating over the concession with Ethiopia and Djibouti for three months but it could not make a deal.

In related news, the Ethio Djibouti railway rehabilitation project will be completed by June 2009. The project includes the changing of old and damaged tracks and bridges of the 114 km of line. On this project, nine concrete bridges will be replaced and another forty metal bridges will be strengthened.

The line that is to be replaced and strengthened is from Hurso to Lassarat. “When this rehabilitation project is completed, the speed of the trains will increase and the derailment reduced,” Solomon Eshetu, the project manager said.

Currently the strength of this 114 km railway line is 20 kg/m and this will increase to 40 kg/m, increasing the carrying capacity and speed of trains.

Currently the project contractor company is completing construction of a factory that produces concrete sleepers to replace the old metallic sleepers of the 114 km railway line.

The railway line around Beseka lake near the city of Metehara has been made safer with a 3 meter high bridge.

The European Union funded fifty mln Euro for this project, including the supervision. The rehabilitation work is carried out by Consta, an Italian company and the supervisor is INECU-SPT, from Spain.
The Ethio Djibouti Railway Authority gives its transport services twice a week from Dire Dawa to Djibouti, while it transports people and goods to Kaliti, the industrial town found 25 Km from Addis, only once a week ever since the work on Gotera Road Inter Exchange project has been started

Source: Nazareh

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