The Rhinocerus express, or, where did the 50 million go?
The old station in Addis Abeba
In 1894 king Menelik II of Ethiopia wanted a railway. His idea was to give his landlocked mountain empire a connection between the sea in Djibouti and a river port on the white Nile. On the way the train would pass Entoto, his capital, the later Addis Ababa. A swiss engineer called Alfred Ilg was contracted to organize the works. However, even with a swiss in command, there was a lot of discussion where to built the railroad in these impassable mountains. It had to brave the climb from sea level in Djibouti to more than 2200 m in Addis Ababa. Menelik died in 1917 and the line was still not finished. Finally the railway was inaugurated by prince Tafari Mekonnen on December 3rd 1929. He later changed his name to Haile Selassie.
Today the train from .... to .... will be late (never arrive any more)
On January 13th 1985 happened what was up to date the worst train accident ever in Africa and the ninth worst worldwide. An “express” train derailed on a bridge over a ravine at Awash. Four cars fell into the ravine. At least 428 of the more than 1000 passengers on board were killed.
No trains stop any more at this beautiful platform
It was not the only accident. No wonder that the railway was badly in need of repair. The EU promised to help with 50 million euro and the mountainous part of the line between the central town of Dire Dawa and Addis Ababa was closed for reconstruction. When I arrived there were rumours that trains were running three times a week between Djibouti and Dire Dawa, but there was still no train to Addis Ababa.
There is a separate exit for travelers in the 1, and 2. and 3. class
It seems to be a rule in the third world that the fewer trains are running on a railway the better it is protected. Probably it is the main and last occupation and raison d’être of the staff to keep themselves busy with fences and locks. When I arrived at the beautiful old station in Addis Ababa, everything was locked. The only legal entrance was protected by a guard. Of course I tried to get in somehow, but some guys lumbering in the shadow of a wagon scales stopped me. Eventually they called a number and handed me over the phone. Somebody on the other end of the line answered in perfect French. He would be there at 2 pm and show me around.
My guide and his little private collection
Of course he was late but eventually he received me in a beautiful office converted mini museum. In a corner an old safe, on the walls pictures and panels full of train tickets and a shelf full of postcards, model trains and his collection of books about the Ethiopian railroad.
But there were no trains arriving in the old station of Addis Ababa any more.
The engine and wagon sheds have disappeared and been replaced by a highway
Model railroad in the engine shed
The museum for the empirial coaches Haile Selassie got from Charles De Gaulle and Queen Elizabeth
Abandoned material in the yard in Addis Abeba
A conpletely stripped line inspection bus - I am afraid this was not incorporated into the new museum
The water tanks in the background are surviving from the age of steam engines which ended in 1966
He showed me around the vast station area. Dilapidated rusty wagons shared the tracks with car wrecks, goats and rubbish. In an old engine shed somebody had built a basic model railroad next to two worn out engines, a motor cycle and a car. Another shed proudly signposted in French as railway museum housed the imperial coaches: two were given to Haile Selassie as a present by Charles DeGaulle, two others by Queen Elizabeth, who was supposed to have been in love with the emperor. New plans were the conversion of one wagon into a dormitory for workers and of another into a restaurant. The works had apparently stopped for the day. In a far corner of the vast yard they were busy constructing a huge hall. My guide told me that it is built by the Chinese to assemble locomotives and wagons for a new railway or the new metro. After a modest contribution for my guide and for the railroad I left and decided to look for the state of affairs in the railroad’s main hub, Dire Dawa, halfway to the coast to Djibouti.
The station in Dire Dawa
The importance of the railroad for Dire Dawa is already obvious at the entrance into town: a huge triumphal arch illustrated with a railroad theme welcomes the traveler. The same theme pops up in various other places in town.
The yard in Dire Dawa filled with freight waggons
Opposite the station is the office of the “Djibuti – Addis Ababa railway rehabilitation project”. It will turn out that their main occupation is to guide visitors around the well-protected station area. I am lucky enough to arrive just the moment when two feranji (Amharic for western foreigners) from Austria leave the building with a guide and I can join them after registration and receiving a green visitors cardboard card.
The vegetable garden
The most productive part of the huge station area is a little vegetable garden. Somebody is busy giving water to the plants. Otherwise there is a collection of dilapidated engines, which would be the pride of every railway museum, in particular in France. There is a workshop full of machines of all stadia of machine tool development of the last hundred years – including old transmission belt driven drilling machines and lathes. Few railway workshops have so many machines in such a confined space. Nobody is at work in this hall but a family of monkeys loudly romps around in the roof beams. The chief electrician of the railway takes his nap in the electrical workshop. Another hall boasts a couple of impressive cranes. One must have been used to load a caterpillar onto a flatcar. A long time ago, since everything is rusty and dust covered and has never been moved afterwards. All the signs are in French because this has been the chemin de fer franco éthiopien. I doubt that anybody speaks French here. Our guide for sure not.
Collection of old wheels. The spoked wheels have not been in use for at least 60 years
Different driving axles. To the right in back of a steam engine
It looks like they have kept all the wheels of every vehicle used on these tracks in the last hundred years, the yard is decorated with engines housings, rails, sleepers cast in 1910, more machines, boogies and parts of locomotives. Most of the tracks are full with freight wagons, some heavily damaged. Nobody is working – maybe it is too hot? Among the many engines, the majority with accident damage, the guide points out one which can be used. He tells us that the line to Djibuti is also closed since a year – for reconstruction. A part of the track is from 1898.
Sign of the EU funded railway rehabilitation project
The “Djibuti – Addis Ababa railway rehabilitation project” has made me curious. Where did these 50 million Euro go?
When I come back to the office the next morning I ask for somebody who can give me information about the railway rehabilitation project. Eventually I am introduced to an old, retired railway man who speaks French well.
In the office of the boss of the waggon repair shop
A joint venture of italian and spanish construction companies was supposed to rebuilt the line to Addis Ababa. They started with rebuilding a dam, which was washed away by the first flood of the rainy season after it was finished. While they continued by repairing the rails in the lower part of the line the government built a tarmac road over another section in the mountains. In other parts the rails were stolen. Apparently there is somebody in the government who is involved in the trucking business and not very much interested in the competition of a functioning railroad.
Eventually they gave up on the mountainous part and turned to the section in the flat desert towards Djibouti. The line was closed and a factory for the fabrication of concrete sleepers was built. Then the Chinese appeared. The Ethiopian government signed a contract to built a whole new rail network by the Chinese. This network was to be built in the Chinese/European standard gauge which is wider than the old railroad. Therefore the old railroad and the new sleeper factory are worthless. However, they did not want to loose the European development money – and the Spanish – Italian contractors probably not their work and started reconstructing a small section of 12 km outside Dire Dawa. Maybe it can used to transport building material for the new railway. They apparently also repainted and repaired the old roundhouse and turntable for steam engines. The last steam engines were removed to France to earn some money from the scrap metal in 1966.
collection of rails for use in .... ?
Sleepers produced in 1910
Maybe the old station area can be converted into a museum. In the office he shows me wardrobes full of old plans and a tunnel to secretly evacuate the building in times of unrest. There are more under the station building. In the time of the Italian occupation they were used as air shelters.
The bus of the sportsclub of railway employees
In 2012 the non-functioning railway still employed 1600 people – a lot less then in the time when they needed 3200 to operate one train a day.
Like the Rhinos, the train has disappeared from Ethiopia.
Well, this train. Meanwhile the European developers have gone and were replaced by the Chinese. In a few years they have built an entirely new railway, standard (chinese) gauge, the first transfrontier electrified line in Africa, the first part of a big chinese built rail network in Ethiopia. And they have more, really big plans. A map shows connections to Libreville in Gabun and even to Dakar in Senegal. Will that ever work? Not only that - they also have given Addis Abeba a whole network of metro lines. And all that in less than 8 years.
The complicated symbol stands for Chemin de fer Franco Euthiopiaen on an engine built in Switzerland in 1950
There is a beautiful article on BBC which proves that the new train is not much more reliable than what was there before…. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-49580863
The new line is closed for days in a row because of accidents with camels. The camel herders are angry and want compensation. There is a threat that the ferocious local Afar nomads attack the trains. Equipment is stolen or destroyed.
Signs on newer French built engines
The new stations in Dire Dawa and Addis Abeba are far outside the town. In Addis Ababa, the beautiful old station building is converted into a museum. The old sheds have been pulled down and covered with a motorway. Interestingly enough they have also demolished the brand new hall for assembling new trains. Only foundations remain. But you can see on google that the station area in Dire Dawa is still covered with all the old junk as it was 8 years ago. Maybe they still have some money of the EU to spend. If you want to have a look, go. There is probably a guide waiting for you.
The last running engine of the line
There is a beautiful book by Hugues Fontaine „un train en afrique“ (in French and English) telling the history of this vanished railroad. The collection of old fotos lets you long for a time machine.
Roundhouse typical for the time of steam engines
Machinery in the main repair shop
The housings for electrical motors used in Diesel-electric engines
Machine for grinding old brake blocks in the foundry for reusing the metal in new blocks
Abandoned French railcars
The nose of a Michelin, a French railcar running of rubber tyres
Abandoned Diesel engines
A view from above at Google maps in 2025 shows that the station area in Dire Dawa has little changed. The roundhouse and workshop buildings are still there, the yard still is full of waggons. A certain cleaning up process seems to be in progress, but the station building is untouched.
Motor blocks of Diesel engines
Bougies of freight cars
Driver's view of an abandoned Diesel engine ....
and of an abandoned railcar
The interior of a second class car
Interior of a third class car
Former dining car
Former sleeping car
Burnt out car
Remainder of an accident
Accident to a freight car
A view from above in Google 2025 shows that the engine shed and all the tracks have disappeared in Addis Abeba. The beautiful station building is still there and there is indded a Musee de la gare with some wagons. I wonder whether he has got the job as director?
Link to other posts about Ethiopia:
