STORY: Ethiopia-Djibouti railway a road to prosperity: Ethiopian minister
DATELINE: July 4, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:19
LOCATION: Addis Ababa
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Ethiopia-Djibouti standard gauge railway
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ALEMU, SIME, Ethiopian Minister of Transport and Logistics
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ABDI ZENEBE, Chief executive officer of the Ethiopia-Djibouti Railway Share Company
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Amharic): GELETA TASEW, Train captain at the Ethiopia-Djibouti Railway

STORYLINE:

The Chinese-built Ethiopia-Djibouti standard gauge railway has operated over 1,800 passenger trains with nearly 530,900 passengers during its five and half years of operation, according to the Ethiopian Minister of Transport and Logistics.

The 752.7-km railway, also known as the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway, is a landmark railway line connecting Ethiopia and Djibouti and a flagship project under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ALEMU SIME, Ethiopian Minister of Transport and Logistics
"The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway is not only a transportation line, but also an economic corridor and a road to prosperity. It has opened up a railroad corridor to the sea for Ethiopia, effectively driving the development of industrialization and urbanization along the route."

The electrified railway has cut the transportation time for freight goods from more than three days to less than 20 hours, and reduced the cost by at least one-third, helping the landlocked country access maritime trade ports.

It has helped Ethiopia, a land-locked country in the Horn of Africa, access international maritime trade through ports in neighboring countries.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ABDI ZENEBE, Chief executive officer of the Ethiopia-Djibouti Railway Share Company
"This railway is a very critical infrastructure as you know and the realization of our importance is growing by the day.
The railway is improving in a number of ways, the community and all communities across the line and beyond as well. We are all already witnessing the flourishing of towns and different urban dwelling centers, and everywhere our stations are (located), for example, the Lebu railway (station) where we started. This is creating new centers where thousands of people can get jobs, and industry can grow."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Amharic): GELETA TASEW, Train captain at the Ethiopia-Djibouti Railway
"Ethiopia and Djibouti are brotherly people, our culture, religion, language, and way of life are similar. The railway, in this regard, is serving as a connecting bridge in creating a linkage between the two people."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Addis Ababa.
(XHTV)