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China spends 30 billion to build Asia-Djibouti railway in Africa
Seetao 2022-08-16 14:19
  • The Ya-Djibouti Railway pioneered the Ya-Djibouti model of building a railway and pulling an economic belt
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China's infrastructure is spread all over the world, and infrastructure has been built in many countries. China and Africa are like brothers. Both sides benefit from each other and make progress together. China's outstanding construction companies have built super projects overseas, with a total investment of more than 30 billion yuan. This is the Gia Railway. The birth of this railway has brought more development opportunities to the ancient African railway. No wonder they cheered excitedly: thanks to China for their help.

The Asia-Djibouti Railway, located on the African continent, is a freight railway connecting Ethiopia and Djibouti. It is also a landmark project of China-Africa three-network integration and production capacity cooperation. Therefore, it is known as the Tanzania-Zambia Railway in the new era. Construction started in 2012. Completed in 2016, with a total length of 752.7 kilometers, it has become an important milestone in the development history of Ethiopia and Djibouti. The railway was constructed using Chinese standards and equipment and was the first electrified railway in East Africa.

Originally, the Yaji Railway was built in 1897 by the advisors of the last Ethiopian emperor and several wealthy French people. The lease term was set for ninety-nine years, but it took more than twenty years before it officially opened in 1917. According to the technology at the time, the railway used a Swiss steam engine, and it has been fifty-two years since it was upgraded to a diesel locomotive. It's just that this railway, which was famous in the country at the beginning, stopped running in 2012 due to various reasons, such as the long construction time and the gradual scarcity of passengers. The railway was not put into use until the national plan to promote the Belt and Road Initiative. At this time, the construction process will inevitably encounter difficulties. For example, the two sides have different ideas and need to constantly explore and run in.

Bringing Chinese Railway Technology to Africa

China also encountered many difficulties in the construction process. Ethiopia is a poor African country with many problems such as insufficient funds, material shortages, and backward technology. The country's infrastructure is backward, and the cost of long-distance transportation is high, resulting in material supply not keeping up, and the construction period almost being delayed. Therefore, in the project bidding stage, Western countries are not optimistic about this project, thinking that it is not profitable and not worth investing in. However, China resolutely accepted the project and proposed it to Ethiopia on its own initiative. During the construction of the project, the Chinese construction team not only implemented the project conscientiously, but also insisted on answering questions, solving the problems of Ethiopian workers at work, and helping them to supplement their knowledge. At the same time, the Chinese construction team has hired many local people to help them, which has practical significance for increasing employment and helping local residents obtain stable employment. In addition, according to the characteristics of local volcanic slag, volcanic slag is boldly mixed with clay as roadbed filler. In fact, this method proved to be so feasible that it was vigorously applied to other railway projects in Ethiopia, saving a lot of material costs.

Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, and Djibouti, the capital of Djibouti, is the first transnational standard-gauge modern electrified railway in Africa. The company builds together. With the official opening of commercial operation in the New Year of 2018, this is the first electrified railway in East Africa that adopts Chinese standards and equipment construction, and also enables China Earth Group and China Railway Second Bureau to realize the transformation from Chinese manufacturing to Chinese operation. This project is also an early harvest of the implementation of the “Belt and Road Initiative” and the ten cooperation plans of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. It is a landmark project of China-Africa triple play and capacity cooperation. The design speed of passenger cars is 120km/h, and the design speed of freight cars is 80km/h. It is constructed according to the second-class standard of China National Railway. It is the sea passage from inland Ethiopia on the Gulf of Aden to the port of Djibouti. In July 2016, the construction party Zhongtu Group and China Railway No. 2 Bureau signed a 6-year operation and maintenance contract and a 2-year technical service contract with the railway joint venture established by Ethiopia and Djibouti, introducing China's railway operation and maintenance management experience. The Yaji Railway has also made the company take the step of transforming from manufacturing in China to operating in China.

China is really helping African friends

When talking about the transition from a railway builder to an operator, Zhang Zhenhai, deputy general manager of China Earth Group Ethiopia Co., Ltd. and general manager of the Yaji Railway Operation and Maintenance Project Company, said that railway operation is a relatively new field for China Earth. , operations and construction are very different concepts in many respects. After obtaining the right to operate the Asia-Djibouti Railway, China Turkmenistan and China Railway Second Bureau and other partners have carried out a lot of work for the formal commercial operation, starting from the capacity building of local personnel, sorting out laws and regulations, speed-up and heavy-load testing, and trial operation. prepare. Zhang Zhenhai said: "The operation and management of railways is also an important part of the 1+N strategy advocated by China-Turkmenistan. The operation of railways is a work to supplement and improve the industrial chain of China-Turkmenistan. . For China-Turkey, the railway we built ourselves, we must make this railway play its corresponding role and drive local economic development. Therefore, railway operation is also a must for China-Turkey considering its business development strategy. The only way to go. Wang Tao is the Secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Ethiopia Project of the China Railway Second Bureau Xinyun Company, and Shenzhen Life Network is also the Human Resources Director of the Yaji Railway Operation and Maintenance Project Company. He was on a trip from Addis Ababa. On the train to Djibouti, he told reporters that the application of China's railway operation and maintenance experience to Africa must be combined with local conditions. Facing new challenges such as unstable traction power, lack of railway legislation, insufficient security forces, and cattle and sheep on the road, it is necessary to Find a way to reverse the solution of the problem through scientific operation and maintenance.

By the end of January 2018, the Yadghi Railway Operation and Maintenance Project Company had a total of 607 Chinese employees, who were responsible for the operation and maintenance of the 752.7-kilometer railway line. At the same time, they carefully taught various railway operation, operation and management skills to local employees in Ethiopia and Djibouti. According to the contract, the Chinese staff will be gradually reduced over several years, and finally local staff will take over the operation and maintenance of the railway. Wang Tao said that recently, EDR (the Asia-Djibouti Railway Joint Venture Company jointly established by the Ethiopian and Djibouti governments) is going to discuss with us about the recruitment of local employees, and more than 2,200 people will be distributed across the line. First, all the students will be trained intensively, and then the teacher will lead the apprentice. A Chinese teacher will lead three or four students—especially the driver. Maybe a Chinese master will have three local apprentices and take them to run! Through theoretical training and on-site training, local employees are trained.

Tiguita Aramreo, 23, a passenger conductor, is very satisfied that she will be able to work on the Yadji Railway after graduating from university: "I am very happy with the work on this journey because my Chinese colleagues Very friendly to us, we are very happy together. The communication with the travelers is also very good, I tell them where the dining car is and where the bathroom is. I like this job very much and can learn a lot from my Chinese colleagues. "

Khaled Abdullah, who lives in Dire Dawa City, the traffic and commercial center of eastern Ethiopia, took the train from Dire Dawa to Addis Abbe twice within a week shortly after the commercial operation of the Yaji Railway. Ba round trip. Referring to the convenience and speed of this electrified railway, the 62-year-old watch dealer was full of praise, saying that he would advertise it well among his family and friends when he got home. Abdullah said: "That's great! I'm so happy! I don't want to take the coach anymore! I'm going to tell all my friends that the train is amazing, with a dining car, toilets, everything, like Just like the plane! I like the Chinese because they are smart and they do a great job. I am telling the truth!”

With the full opening of the international and domestic passenger and freight commercial operations of the Yadghi Railway, the land traffic pressure between Ethiopia and Djibouti will be relieved, and the cargo turnaround time can be shortened from one week to 10 hours, which will greatly promote the efficiency of logistics between the two countries and improve the efficiency of logistics along the railway. economic development.

A model of cooperation between China, Egypt and Kyrgyzstan

China Civil Engineering and Ethiopia-Djibouti Standard Gauge Railway Co., Ltd. signed a franchise agreement for the special railway line of Nagad Gauge. Liu Dong, deputy general manager of China Civil Engineering, attended the signing ceremony. The head of the Ethiopian company and the president of the Ethiopia-Djibouti Standard Gauge Railway Joint Stock Company, Abudi, signed the agreement on behalf of both parties. Abdi expressed his appreciation for the achievements made by China Civil Engineering in operating the Yaji Railway and thanked the operation team for their hard work. He said that the Asia-Djibouti Railway is an important part of the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road, and a model of cooperation among China, Ethiopia and Djibouti. The signing of this agreement is a positive result of in-depth exchanges and close cooperation between the two sides, and has important strategic significance for the development of the Asia-Djibouti Railway. He emphasized that the two sides have the same goals and trust each other. Egypt is willing to work with China to continuously expand the Asia-Djibouti railway sector and promote the high-quality development of the Asia-Djibouti railway.

In the past two years, the Yaji Railway has made remarkable achievements. The cooperation between the two parties on the special railway line of the Nagad track is a positive and beneficial attempt. I hope the two parties can take this opportunity to continue to cooperate closely. , cooperate with each other, support each other, and jointly build a closer community with a shared future. China Civil Engineering took the initiative to seize the opportunity to continuously improve the capacity and infrastructure level of the Asia-Djibouti Railway, promote the construction of railway supporting projects, and further implement the development framework of "two axes + two sides" in the "Horn of Africa Peaceful Development Concept". The interconnection effect of "port + railway + dry port + industrial park" is becoming increasingly apparent, and the development concept of "one railway driving one economic belt" is bursting with vigor. The Nagad Rail Paichang special railway line is located in Djibouti, adjacent to the Nagad Station of the Yadji Railway. The signing of the franchise agreement will enable the Yadji Railway to add another loading point at the port end, enabling the containerized transportation of bulk cargo. , through the innovative bulk cargo consolidation mode of "flat car + container", it will add considerable transportation revenue to the Yadji Railway every year.

Due to China's huge investment, Ethiopia agreed to authorize China to operate the railway for 6 years after the completion of the railway. During this period, the railway's operating income will be attributed to the Chinese side, which reflects the pragmatic and mutual trust economic cooperation model between the two countries. From the perspective of the above, the Yaji Railway is China's first overseas-oriented railway project covering the entire industrial chain from design and investment to construction and operation. The mainland plays an important role in promoting the interconnectivity of countries.Editor/XingWentao

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