The Chinese company China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co. Ltd. (CREEC) has been awarded the 37.381Km Addis Ababa light rail transit project and has already started work.
The railway stretches mainly from Defence Forces Hospital to Ayat Village, which is 17.26Km, with other tracks that will lead from Meskel Square to Kality (16.246Km) and the 3.875Km rail line from Lideta to Menilik Square.
The Chinese Corporation has also started construction activities around Ayat Village.
The Addis Ababa light rail transit project also designed by CREEC is expected to be financed 60 percent by the Chinese government and 40 percent from the coffers of the Ethiopian government.
The 37.381Km Addis Ababa light rail transit project is estimated to cost over USD 400 million and is scheduled to be completed in two years.

According to sources, the project could be delayed because part of it was originally planned to pass through Meskel Square, instead a new design is expected to be done, which takes the route behind the Addis Ababa Exhibition Centre. The reason for this is said that Meskel square will have its own project of 4.3Km Meskel Square-Bole Bridge project that is expected to cost USD 60 million. The over pass on Bole Road is going to be built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation and solely financed by the Export Import Bank of China.

The Ethiopian Railway Corporation has also signed with CREEC to construct the first lot of the 317Km Addis Ababa-Me’eso railway line.
The second lot of the 340Km Me’eso-Dire Dawa-Dawale electric railway project was awarded to another Chinese state owned enterprise China Civil Construction Corporation (CCECC) on December 16.

The Ethiopian government plans to construct more than 2,000Km of rail lines during the five year Growth and Transformation Plan program.

Source: CapitalEthiopia