The Ethiopian Railway Corporation (ERC) has unveiled plans for developing the $1.58 billion Northern Ethiopia-Red Sea Standard Gauge Railway intended to connect northern Ethiopia with the Red Sea ports of Tadjourah, Assab, and Massawa.
The infrastructural ambitions for the development of the standard gauge railway were laid out in a 21-page company report presented on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. This was the National Railway Business and Investment Summit held at the Skylight Hotel in Addis Ababa.
Northern Ethiopia-Red Sea Standard Gauge Railway Factsheet
Project name (component): Weldiya–Hara Gebeya–Mekelle Railway
Type: Standard Gauge Railway (SGR)
Location: Northern Ethiopia
Termini: Weldiya/Hara Gebeya and Mekelle City
Strategic goal: To connect northern Ethiopia with Red Sea ports, particularly Tadjourah (Djibouti), Assab, and Massawa (Eritrea). It would connect to the existing Awash–Weldiya line, which links to the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway.
Length (Weldiya-Mekelle): 216 kilometers
Cost: approximately $1.58 billion – $1.6 billion
Technical specs:
- Electrified, Single Track (with passing loops).
- Max Passenger Speed: 120 km/h.
- Max Freight Speed: 80-90 km/h.
- Includes 76 bridges
- 370 culverts
- 8 tunnels (totaling 10.03 km).
Key junction: Connects to the Awash–Weldiya/Hara Gebeya Railway (392 km, $1.7 billion, constructed by Yapı Merkezi/SYSTRA), which in turn links to the operational Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway.
Importance: Provides a vital link to the Mekelle Dry Port and the northern economic zones, aiming to provide Ethiopia (a landlocked country) with diversified and critical access to multiple Red Sea ports.
Length of the Railway
The document obtained by The Reporter describes the 216 kilometer, single-track Weldiya-Hara Gebeya-Mekelle standard-gauge rail project as ongoing. Also, the document estimates its total cost at close to USD 1.6 billion.
“The railway connects Ethiopia with Tadjourah, Assab and Massawa ports,” the summary reads, situating the line squarely within the government’s broader campaign to regain maritime access.
When inquired by The Reporter whether the Woldiya–Mekelle corridor will include the Kombolcha-Hara Gebeya section, ERC Chief Executive Officer Hilina Belachew (Eng.) clarified that the project is separate from an arbitration case involving the Awash–Kombolcha–Hara Gebeya railway (AKH) project.
