Mekelle፡Telaviv, Nairobi, Pretoria, London, (Tigray Herald).
Ethiopia to restart railway projects linking Tigray after years of war disruption
Ethiopia is moving to resume construction of long-delayed railway lines intended to connect its central regions with the war-scarred north, in what officials say is a step towards rebuilding national infrastructure. But critics warn the revival may be driven as much by political motives as economic recovery.
The Ethiopian Railways Corporation said it had completed technical assessments to restart the Awash–Kombolcha–Hara Gebeya line (392 km) and the Hara Gebeya–Mekelle line (268 km). Both projects were halted in 2021, when the outbreak of the Tigray war severed transport links and left infrastructure in ruins.
Funded largely through foreign loans, including from Chinese financial institutions, the projects were once hailed as symbols of Ethiopia’s rapid modernisation drive. Instead, they became casualties of one of the most destructive conflicts in the country’s modern history.
Although the Corporation reported revenues of 710m birr (£9.5m) this year from construction and other commercial activity, it remains under heavy external debt pressure, according to Sputnik news agency.
Analysts say the resumption of work on the Mekelle line could serve a dual purpose for the federal government: presenting an image of national reconstruction to international partners, while also reasserting its authority in Tigray, where federal influence remains fragile after years of bloodshed.
“Railways are never just about transport in Ethiopia they are about power and who controls the routes of connection,” said one Addis Ababa-based political observer.
For communities along the proposed lines, however, the promise is more immediate: jobs, trade, and cheaper access to markets. Whether the projects will deliver on those hopes or become another symbol of debt-driven overreach remains to be seen.
