Ethiopia to build railway academy with close to $60 mln

Addis Ababa, January 13, 2018 (FBC) –The Ethiopian Railways Corporation (ERC) said the construction of a new railway academy will start next September.

The academy will be built in the city of Bishoftu, 47 Km east of Addis Ababa, with a 373.14 million Yuan (close to $60 mln) financial support obtained from the government of China.

Preparations are nearing completion to start the construction of the academy on a total of 151 hectares of land and finalized it in two years time.

Construction of the first phase of the academy, which includes classrooms, administrative buildings, sport centers and dormitories, will take place on 16 hectares of land.

Once the first phase is completed, the academy will enroll up to 1,000 students and train them in seven fields of study. The academy will have up to 250 teachers and administrative staff.

Ethiopia and Djibouti launched a fully electrified cross-border railway line in October 2016. It links Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, to Djibouti.