Tuesday 6 January 2015

Ferrovia Eritrea: The Eritrean Railways: one of the oldest in Africa


Ferrovia Eritrea: The Eritrean Railways: one of the oldest in Africa

Do you know that Construction began in Massawa in autumn 1887 (Most probably the third in Africa by then) and reached Asmara in December 1911 and Agordat in February 1928. The total length, Massawa – Agordat is 306,4 kms. It was planned to reach Tessenei but stopped at Bisha (31 kms from Agordat) due to WWII. The Asmara – Massawa section was 117,6 kms. It had 13 stations, 30 tunnels (the biggest 372 meters and shortest 35 meters), with 667 curves.
The Asmara – Agordat section was 188,8 kms, had 17 stations, 9 tunnels (biggest 236 m and shortest 36 meters) and had 681 curves. When the railway was running at its maximum capacity in the period from March to October 1935, 38 trains ran for 24 hours between Massawa and Asmara.
Many of the rail parts were dismantled during the liberation war and used for strengthening defences. The first railway in Africa was established in about 1854 in Egypt at Alexandria and the one in South Africa was in 1860. The Djibouti – Addis Railway construction started in 1897 in Djibouti and reached Addis in 1917.
Details about the Eritrean railways, you find on this 17 Page report that was written by the Eritrean Railways Administration 49 years ago, click the pages at the bottom


How the railroad between Asmara and Massawa was built (film from 1936)
كيف تم بناء السكك الحديدية الارترية فيلم من عام 1936

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8QMP6v5mvI

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