Since it was launched, the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, coordinated by China, Ethiopia and Djibouti, has improved transportation and boosted the local economy under the Belt and Road Initiative. Our reporter Zheng Songwu visits Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa to learn more about the changes on the ground.
Dejen Gezu from Ethiopia was one of the earliest train engineers working on the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway. It spans more than 750 kilometers, starting in Addis Ababa and ending in Djibouti City.
ZHENG SONGWU Addis Ababa, Ethiopia “Hi, how is everything? When is the departure time? Would you like to share us how you operate a train?”
DEJEN GEZU Train Engineer, Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway “Good, around 11 o’clock, yes.”
In 2018, Dejen joined the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, or CCECC, one of the Chinese companies that helped to build and run the railway. He had the opportunity to visit the Zhengzhou Railway Vocational and Technical College in Central China’s Henan Province.
ZHENG SONGWU Addis Ababa, Ethiopia “You were sent to Zhengzhou to be trained in how to operate a train, how was the experience?”
DEJEN GEZU Train Engineer, Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway “And all the training was so important as was so crucial. We gained a handover experience. The training has around eight phases, such as classroom instruction, theoretical training, practical training, the route training or route operation. There also was an internship on the actual route to practice how to operate the train. These were all very very important training courses in China.”
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