Ethiopia’s light rail transit transported over 29mn people in 9 months: Minister

The Chinese-built 34 kilometres Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit network has transported over 29 million people in a period of just nine months, the Ethiopian Ministry of Transport announced on April 24.

In a report submitted to Ethiopian parliament, the Ethiopian Ministry of Transport opined that the Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit (AALRT) has earned around USD 3 million transporting more than 29 million passengers in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa during the first nine months of the current Ethiopian Fiscal Year 2018/19, which commenced on July 8.

Commissioned in September 2015, AALRT is the first light railway in Africa built at a cost of USD 475 million, with 85 percent of funding coming from the Export-Import Bank of China. The rail project was constructed by China Railway Engineering Corporation Ltd. (CREC) and is currently operated by Chinese firm Shenzhen Metro Group Company, as reported by Xinhua.

It is estimated that AALRT currently transports about 60,000 people daily, significantly reducing traffic congestion in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, home to around 4 million residents. The Ethiopian government said the project had created 13,000 jobs.

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