Italy has pledged to finance a feasibility study for a planned rail line linking the Eritrean port city of Massawa and the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed disclosed on Monday. Abiy, who arrived in Rome on official duty said Italy had agreed to fund the first phase of the study. An analyst commenting on the development said Italy had only agreed to finance the study. Biruk Terrefe added that the route will go through Mekelle, capital of the northern Tigray region then through to Awash (via Kolombocha) and to Addis Ababa (via Adama.) Ethiopia’s most crucial rail line is the line that links Addis Ababa to Djibouti.

Source: Ethiopian News January 22, 2019 10:24 UTC