Ethio-Djibouti Railways To Begin Transporting Perishable Goods

Ethio-Djibouti Railways has announced that it is preparing to commence the transportation of perishable goods including fruits and vegetables that require refrigerated containers.

Cargo transport provided by the Ethio-Djibouti Railways is preferable in terms of speed, price, and safety of goods when compared to truck transportations.

For instance, it would take days to transport vehicles from Djibouti to Addis Ababa by trucks; however, the availability of train transportation would take only less than a day.

Speaking to ENA, Ethio-Djibouti Railways CEO, Abdi Zenebe, said the transport services being provided by the company has been extensively contributing to Ethiopia’s import and export trade activities particularly in improving the nation’s income and in transporting vital goods.

In the last fiscal year, coffee, which is the main export product of the country, was almost fully transported by the Ethio-Djibouti Railways, he said.

The company was also able to transport 55 million liters of edible oil from the port of Djibouti in to the country, he elaborated, adding that Ethio-Djibouti Railways has shown better performance regarding the transportation of soil fertilizer helping the nation to save 1.1 billion Birr logistic costs.

The CEO further pointed out that the company is undertaking various activities to expand the services that it provides noting the preparations being carried out to commence the transportation of goods including fruits and vegetables that require refrigerated wagons.

Lots of activities are well underway to align the transport services the company provides with the country’s priority sectors, he added.

According to him, Ethio-Djibouti Railways is preparing to use wagons capable of transporting mineral products too.

Regarding tourism, Abdi mentioned that activities have been well underway to provide transport services to passengers who wish to visit Ethiopia and Djibouti.

He further pointed out that Ethio-Djibouti Railways is gearing towards increasing its capacity. The company has now been able to create capacity of transporting 240 vehicles with a single trip.

The CEO also said that Ethio-Djibouti Railways is doing its part to expediting regional integration by strengthening the ties between Ethiopia and Djibouti.

Source: Ethiopia News Agency