Africa's first electrified railway and railway construction for Chinese 

Connecting Ethiopia and Djibouti the capital of Addisababa - Djibouti Railway (referred to as the railway and 5 in Ethiopia) held the opening ceremony, the "Chinese manufacturing, China operation of the railway will let many people in East Africa experience for the first time to travel by train.

"In the process and the process of railway construction, we attach great importance to the construction quality, the construction of the railway to a high standard, comprehensive display of China quality and Chinese standard." Li Changjin, chairman of China Railway Corporation, said in an interview with reporters.

Africa is the first modern railway and electrified railway, the joint construction of Chinese iron and China railway, a total length of 752.7 kilometers, across the board with China two electrified railway construction standards, the design speed of 120 km, a total investment of about $4 billion.

Due to historical reasons, the railway gauge standards of the former colonial suzerain were widely used in African countries, so the unified railway network could not be formed. In January 2004, the African Railway Union proposed the implementation of the railway integration initiative in the African continent, and the railway construction in African countries entered a stage of rapid development, which also provided an opportunity for China's railway standards to enter africa.

Li Changjin said that the railway construction and has a good demonstration effect on the African market, can promote the output and promotion of China standards in Africa and around the world, driven by the China railway going out".

He said that many African countries are learning and gradually accepted technical standards for railway Chinese, China enterprises to participate in the construction of Kenya Mongolian Railway (the capital of Nairobi to the coastal city of Mombasa), Angola Benguela railway, Nigeria coastal railway project such as the China standard, which is of great significance to promote the China railway standards in Africa and around the world.

In the process of railway construction and in "China standard" in the implementation process is combined with the local actual situation, the localization of innovation. Li Changjin said: "our workers not only high standard construction, Ethiopia from their own reality and to improve the" Chinese standard ", make it more in line with the conditions of ethiopia."

For example, the construction of railway subgrade filling shortage, long-distance transportation is not only high cost, supply is difficult to guarantee, China railway builders according to the characteristics of local volcanic slag more bold innovation, the use of "slag mixed with clay" as roadbed filler. This method was applied to the whole promotion of railway construction project in Ethiopia, save construction costs and improve the efficiency of construction.

Li Changjin said that the railway will be built in East Africa and Africa and economic development play an important role in boosting. At the same time, goods from China and other Asian countries can also be transported to Ethiopia and other African countries through this railway.

In fact, in the railway and formally put into operation before it has begun to play a role. As of this month 3 days, China railway has helped the Ethiopian government successfully transported nearly 90 thousand tons of relief supplies, which greatly eased the drought experienced in Ethiopia area the pressure of life shortage of materials, has been highly appreciated by the Ethiopian government and people.