From Djibouti to Addis Ababa by train

From January 2018, Djibouti City and Addis Abeba are connected by the new electrified railway built and operated by Chinese companies.

From Djibouti to Dire Dawa

Djibouti station is not in the city centre, but in Nagad, near the international airport. However, tickets can be purchased in the city centre, in a building which is located in Salines Ouest, about 10 minutes by walking from the central 27 Juin Square. Salines Ouest is the road leading southwestwards from the traffic light at the intersection between Sheikh Osman and Roosevelt avenues. Once reached the French Culture Institute, keep walking for some 50 meters, until the Al Rayan cafe'. Cross the road and enter in the courtyard of the Maison Medical building. The ticket office is on the first floor. Opening hours: 7-12 & 14-17 on odd-numbered dates; 8-12 & 14-17 on even-numbered dates. Tickets must be bought at least 17 hours before the train departure, but they are not sold more than 2 days in advance. The office issues white coupons that must be exchanged for the proper tickets at the station ticket office.

The train station can be reached by taxi, it takes about 15 minutes and the fare is 3500 FDJ. Passengers are required to be at the ticket office at 7 am, in order to exchange the white coupons, then go through security checks and immigration control. Policemen are strict about taking pictures, which must be taken of the building only and not of the policemen themselves.

The train leaves on time, at 8 am, and by 8.50 it reaches Ali Sabieh, the last Djiboutian city before the border. Luggage and passport controls by the Ethiopian custom officers are very quick. After that, passengers relax, sleeping or chatting and eating.

The train crosses a desertic area, although not without life: goats, camels and their herdsmen are a frequent sight. Sometimes, the house of a nomadic family can be seen. Not to mention the termite mounds.

As scheduled, at 12,50 the train stops at Dire Dawa station, which, again, is about ten kilometres away from the city centre. After the Ethiopian immigration control, outside the station a good number of bajaj drivers are waiting for the train passengers. Local prices are much lower than the Djiboutian ones: even for a foreigner, 100 birr are enough for the ride from the station to the city centre.

From Dire Dawa to Addis Abeba

In Dire Dawa too, tickets are sold in the city centre: the EDR (Ethio-Djibouti Railway) office is very conveniently located in the old railway station, in the Kezira area. Opening hours: 9,30-15.

The train leaves Dire Dawa station at 12,50. It passes by some villages and towns, with mountains in the background.

The tracks of the old railway can often be seen from the window.

Although more new stations have been built, for the time being the only stop before Addis Ababa is Adama. The Addis Ababa station is Furi-Lebu, from which the city centre can be reached in about 30 minutes by taxi (the fare is around 400 birr).

The EDR ticket sale point in Addis Ababa is located next to the ticket office of the Light Rail  Leghar station (under the railway bridge, Churchill avenue side). Opening hours: 9,30-11,30, Mondays to Saturdays.