Something like six or so years in the making, Chinese sponsored electric trains are now running from the Horn to the capitol of Ethiopia. This is part of their on going Silk Road initiative. Here's more:
A few links in the article mention US cities that are scheduled to receive Chinese-built trains (1:1 scale that is :-). Boston is on the list.
Tomlinson Run RR
DJBOUTI, both the country and the capital, was dirt poor when I was there 30 years ago. The country does have the advantage of geography. It is at the mouth of the Red Sea where it enters the Indian Ocean. It was and is a good location for a port to enter Eastern Africa. The port and airport were both terrible 30 years ago. It would be interesting to see them today but I am not going to return. The average temperature during the summer seemed to be about 120 F.
Frankly, I don't see how the Chinese are going to recoup their investment in this rail line at least in the near term. It is probably why U.S. banks declined to invest. Only a government can finance something like this with no expectation of a return except for political support.
I hope that this rail line is successful and helps to bring increasing prosperity to Africa much like the transcontinental rail lines did for the USA. I think that it will take several decades before the results are known.
NH Joe
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