The first phase of Awash – Woldiya/Hara Gebeya Railway, one of Ethiopia’s under construction railway project, is scheduled to start test run in August, Ethiopian Railways Corporation (ERC) disclosed.

The construction of the 389 kilometers railway started back in June 2012 when the corporation signed the agreement with the Turkish firm, Yapi Merkezi. The railway is electrified standard gauge line and runs north from Awash to Woldiya. From Awash the line is connected to the Djibouti – Addis Ababa railway line.

According to ERC the project has now reached 54 percent completion rate. Track has been laid on 250 kilometers of the total 391 kilometers.

The railway will further go north for 220 kilometers and reach Meqele from Hara Gebeya. This section of the railway is being constructed under a separate contract worth 1.5 billion USD and it will constructed by China Communications Construction Co. it was back in February 2015 that Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn laid the corner stone for this project and it now has reached 54 percent.

Source: Railway Gazette