Djibouti to Addis railway, we need one to Hargesia

[Khaem]

Why don't we have a railway to Hargesia also? Via Zelia and some small towns.
We've got one that goes from Djibouti through Dir Dhaba, Adama then Addis since 2018

 

[Khaem]

The whole somali peninsula must be connected by rail

 

[Ashraf]

Most of ethiopias economy is centred in Addis so it makes sense. Plus if I’m not mistaken that railway was built by the French in the 1800s, I think it was only modernised in 2018 by the Chinese. As for the Somali peninsula being connected by rail that can be easily arranged since most of Somalia is flat land allowing for easy construction and promoting a more interconnected economy instead of isolated mountainous regions like Ethiopia which make it difficult to build infrastructure.

 

[angelplan]

The Ethio-Djibouti railway dates back to colonial age built by the french. What China did was just renovate it to latest standard of quality. To connect Djibouti to Hargeisa will need a lot money for investment which both Somaliland and Djibouti cannot afford on their own. Some big power will have to foot the Bill.

 

[Ashraf]

The Ethio-Djibouti railway dates back to colonial age built by the french. What China did was just renovate it to latest standard of quality. To connect Djibouti to Hargeisa will need a lot money for investment which both Somaliland and Djibouti cannot afford on their own. Some big power will have too foot the Bill.

That’s not to mention the insane leverage Djibouti has over Ethiopia. They cuck them out of billions a year, a railway to Hargeisa wouldn’t be financially sustainable as of right now and there would be minimal benefits, plus no financial incentives from foreign nations due to virtually no economic prospects so it would take debt to build it .

 

[Devilsadvocate]

Very cool. I saw some videos on tiktok when the xeer cisse event was happening and everyone was travelling from Djibouti to dire dhaba with ease.

 

[Khaem]

Most of ethiopias economy is centred in Addis so it makes sense. Plus if I’m not mistaken that railway was built by the French in the 1800s, I think it was only modernised in 2018 by the Chinese. As for the Somali peninsula being connected by rail that can be easily arranged since most of Somalia is flat land allowing for easy construction and promoting a more interconnected economy instead of isolated mountainous regions like Ethiopia which make it difficult to build infrastructure.

Yeah it was an old French railway that was revived by the Chinese since it originally fell out of operation.

But yes Somalia can easily pull off an interconnected national rail system it's not going to cost as much as other countries, like Ethiopia, due to our terrain. The benefits will be worth way more than the costs, forgetting the buisness and massive boost to gdp it will also facilitate homogenity due to moving populations being able to settle in any city for work. Overall national rail will be one of the building blocks towards a true nation state.

 

[bobby_hill-Punt]

The whole somali peninsula must be connected by rail

Somalia did once have a train system before, but I got destroyed by the brits. There are still remnants of it in Mogadishu. I don't think we should have train that's for people connecting us to Ethiopia due to the historical tension we had with them. In addition to this is you don't want to be flooded with people from ethiopia in Somalia. Now if your talking just train carts for hailing goods from the ports ok, but for people NO.

 

[Ashraf]

Yeah it was an old French railway that was revived by the Chinese since it originally fell out of operation.

But yes Somalia can easily pull off an interconnected national rail system it's not going to cost as much as other countries, like Ethiopia, due to our terrain. The benefits will be worth way more than the costs, forgetting the buisness and massive boost to gdp it will also facilitate homogenity due to moving populations being able to settle in any city for work. Overall national rail will be one of the building blocks towards a true nation state.

Chinese rail is a viable option for Somalia since it’s cheaper than other nations like Japan but still of a very high standard. The only issue is we’d have to outright pay for it instead of taking a loan so the Chinese don’t control rail prices. Privatisation has made a lot of railways abroad financially unsustainable and of lesser quality . Check out the railway prices for nairobi to Mombasa, the Chinese probably have a massive stake in it since Kenya took out a loan to fund it

 

[JamalFarah]

Rail would be fantastic in Somalia. The country’s geography is surprisingly linear, the soil is well-compacted, and with many economic hubs located along the coast, a straight rail line from Afmadow to Bosaso could connect over half the country. Two additional lines following the Jubba and Shabelle rivers to Kismayo and Mogadishu, along with another connecting Galkacyo to Hobyo, would essentially form the backbone of the infrastructure needed for a Somali economic boom.

Add to that a reorganization of the livestock industry—modernizing it and shifting from pastoralism to ranching, with meat processing factories adding value to exports. The same approach could be applied to fishing and farming. With these changes, Somalia’s economy could grow tenfold within 15 years.

Thats before we’ve talking started mining and manufacturing (Somalia could out compete south east Asia on cost for personnel and shorter distance to the European, gulf and American market.)