Breakthrough isn’t just a word. It’s an action, one that only risk-takers dare to imagine and then make real.
Today, that breakthrough is happening at Ethio-Djibouti Railway (EDR).
For the first time, our own local engineers and technicians are overhauling entire locomotive engines and bogies, and fully restoring our freight and passenger coaches, right here at home. No shipping abroad. No waiting months. No foreign dependency.
This is more than maintenance. It’s proof of what Ethiopian and Djiboutian talent can achieve when trusted with the mission.
A huge leap forward, built by our own hands.
From digital foundation to digital logistics spur — by developing an Integrated Logistics Management System (ILMS)
EDR’s Freight Digital Booking and Management Platform is live.
Book. Pay. Track. Manage. One cargo, one place, no paper trail chasing you down the corridor.
But let’s be honest with ourselves: a platform is a piece of the chain, not the chain. Capable people, wagons we can see, rolling stock we can count on, and more passing stations complete the inland leg. Secured sea access completes the whole.
So this is a launch, and it is also an invitation:
• Shippers – test it hard. Tell us where it falls short; that is where we will build next. • Shipping lines – let’s connect our systems. A booking should not stop at the water’s edge. • EDR colleagues – the platform is only as good as the way we use it. It amplifies discipline; it does not replace it.
The foundation is laid. Now we build the spur
A New Chapter in Passenger Service at EDR
We are pleased to announce the launch of the EDR Passenger App, making railway ticketing more accessible, convenient, and digitally connected.
Passengers can now access EDR ticketing through iOS, Android, Web, and the Telebirr Super App.
This is another step toward delivering a more modern, efficient, and customer-focused railway experience.
EDR — Connecting People. Connecting Nations.
Download the apps below 👇
https://t.co/ry1mDgVJ82
https://t.co/f1SQihWLpP
https://t.co/2NgA1LDAvS
I couldn’t be prouder today.
At Galaan Rolling Stock Depot, I witnessed something remarkable: locomotives and passenger coaches being overhauled, repaired, and assembled by our own Ethio-Djibouti Railway engineers.
For years, this generation waited for the chance to build with its own expertise and skill. That wait is over. What I saw today is not a plan or a promise; it is real work, done by real hands, on the corridor itself.
This is the legacy we are building. This is what ownership looks like.
To every engineer and technician at Galaan: thank you. The future of this railway is in your hands, and it is in good hands.
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በሀገር ልጆች ሀገር ቀል እውቀትና ክህሎት፤
ዛሬ በኢትዮ–ጅቡቲ ባቡር (EDR) የተመለከትነው ስራ ይህ ትውልድ በቁርጠኝነት ተነስቶ የተገበረውን እውነታ በሚገባ ያሳያል።
ዛሬ ያየነው ፈጠራ ነው — በተግባር የተገለጸ ስኬት።
አቧራ ለብሰው፣ ለብዙ ወራት የቆሙ ፉርጎዎችና ሰረገላዎች ሙሉ በሙሉ ተጠግነው፣ ተገጣጥመው ወደ ስራ ሲገቡ ዛሬ አይተናል።
ይህን ፈጠራ ልዩ የሚያደርገው ቡድኑ ፕሮጀክቱን ከሃሳብና ከዲዛይን ጀምሮ፣ እስከ መገጣጠምና በሀዲድ ላይ እስከ ማስቀመጥ ድረስ ያለውን ሙሉ ሂደት በራሱ መምራቱ ነው።
የተሰራው ስራ ለሚቀጥሉት ተግባራችን ጠንካራ መሰረት ይሆናል።
Massive congratulations to my brother again, #YomifKejelcha! The greatest debut in history. I'm so proud of you—1:59:41 in your very first marathon is unbelievable.
"Hermosa mañana, ¿verdad?"
El video del atleta etíope Yomif Kejelcha con el trofeo de la media maratón de Buenos Aires. El corredor rompió el récord mundial ayer.
📌 One of the ONLY TWO MEN IN THE WORLD to run sub 2 hours marathon (1:59:41), Yomif Kejelcha of #Ethiopia 🇪🇹 now conquers a world record for half marathon (56:51)
Congratulations, #YomifKejelcha
BACK WITH KEJELCHA 🫨
Former world record-holder Yomif Kejelcha reclaims the half marathon world record* from Jacob Kiplimo, clocking 56:51* in Buenos Aires 💪
That’s 29 seconds off the previous mark 💥
World record flash 🔗 https://t.co/TDldUcY7vx
*Pending ratification procedures
Two Years on the Corridor: A Reflection
Two years ago, when we assumed leadership of the Ethio-Djibouti Railway Share Company, there was nothing glamorous about the task ahead of us.
Nine locomotives ran out of a fleet of thirty-five; the rest sat silent in sheds and parking lots. More than half of our wagons, flat cars and box cars alike, gathered dust. An enormous national asset lay unproductive, and more than 4,000 of our own people stood by as spectators to a railway that barely moved. When trains did run, they crawled at 20 to 30 kilometers per hour with a handful of containers behind them. We struggled to pay salaries. We stood at the edge of bankruptcy.
Today, that story has been rewritten.
The company once known for its fading presence on the corridor is now its most capable operator: profitable, growing, and shaping the flow of Ethiopia’s trade. Our trains run coupled and at full capacity, moving over 14×106 containers a day alongside 3,000 tonnes of bulk cargo. Annual carrying capacity has climbed from 1.3 million to 4 million tonnes. Our share of national exports has risen from 9% to 50%, and of imports from 11% to 25%. And every piece of maintenance and rolling stock work is now done entirely by our own local hands.
The expertise we forged repairing track has grown into something larger still: today we are fully committed to developing railway infrastructure, including ports and terminals.
None of this was inevitable. It was earned, train by train and repair by repair, by the hands of our people.
At this moment of reflection, I am deeply grateful to our Prime Minister @AbiyAhmedAli, whose support and guidance have been instrumental at every step of the way.
To our staff: what we have built is momentum. What comes next is movement, all along the corridor.
We are committed to continue our legacy of sustainability at the Galan Multipurpose Port (GMP). With every tree we plant, we are not just greening our landscape; we are breathing life into our logistics hub. This growing plantation serves as a vital green buffer, softening the concrete and steel infrastructure here at GMP and reinforcing our commitment to the green legacy initiative.
2018 in review: We moved 3.8 million tonnes of cargo by rail—exceeding our annual target by 30% and outpacing last year's performance by an incredible 72%.
The momentum is undeniable, and trade is on the move. Here's to an even stronger 2019!
From single sleeper laying to assembled track installation – we’re picking up momentum, one step at a time.
For months , our track crews mastered the art of single-track sleeper laying across the Ethio-Djibouti Railway. That foundation taught us the value of precision, patience, and incremental progress – and now, it’s paving the way for something bigger.
We’ve recently begun using lifting cranes to install assembled track-sleeper units, a major leap in efficiency and coordination. And soon, we’ll be rolling out commercial track-laying machines – a game-changer for our infrastructure journey.
Every small step counts. Every lesson learned builds the future.
Proud of the team for pushing boundaries and raising the bar.