Sub-Saharan Africa's first metro system becomes operational in Ethiopia

By mahlokoane percy ngwato

Stay Connected! Follow @AfricaBizReview and @MrNLon on Twitter. Like our Facebook Page.

Addis Ababa is set to be the first city in sub-Saharan Africa to play host to a light rail metro system, which comes online this month after undergoing testing since its completion in January.  

The 32-kilometre Addis Metro line cost $474 million to deliver and is expected to carry 15,000 people per hour in a single direction with an estimated top speed of 70 kilometres per hour.

Read our full company report on South Africa's state infrastructure provider, Transnet. 

The line is supported by 39 stations (which all have their own names) a network of alleyways, 12 of which has escalators, and 22 elevators.

The green trams will from October operate on the city’s East-West route, while those coloured blue are now shuttling between north and south. Fares will be relatively low, which reflects a heavy level of government subsidy.

RELATEDFaced with sanctions, Russia turns to Algeria's $8.3 billion railway expansion

The tramcars rely on power supplied mainly from overhead wires, but authorities have indicated that the system will have its own dedicated grid, including four substations to supply 160MW of power.

The metro took three years to construct and was delivered by the China Railway Group Limited after the Ethiopian government secured 85 percent of the required funding from the Export-Import Bank of China. The Chinese were also responsible for training drivers and maintenance workers; another company from China constructed the supporting power system.

RELATED: Lagos to build $2 billion modern metro rail

Africa’s only other light rail systems are found in the North, so this development represents a first for all the nations lying below the Sahara Desert.

Read the September Issue of African Business Review.

Source [Mail and Guardian Africa

Share

Featured Articles

Top 10 most innovative telecom operators in the Middle East

With Dubai-based Telecoms World Middle East in full swing, we chart the most innovative telcos from the region – and look at how they are transforming

Top 10 fastest-growing Indian companies in the UK

Business Chief takes a look at the top 10 fastest-growing Indian companies in the UK, according to the India Meets Britain Tracker from Grant Thornton

Top 10 workplaces prioritising people and planet in the UAE

Sustainable, flexible, collaborative, tech-driven, and amenities-rich, the office of the future considers both people and planet – here are 10 in the UAE

Top 10 female HR execs leading Saudi’s workplace transition

Leadership & Strategy

Top 10 largest asset managers by AUM operating in the UAE

Corporate Finance

Top 10 female CEOs leading Africa’s biggest businesses

Leadership & Strategy