From Bangkok Post

The old French-built railway that connected Addis Ababa to the Red Sea port of Djibouti is now being replaced by a Chinese-built electrified railway. This is a bold project that seeks to boost Ethiopia's commercial exports.

The new project also symbolizes a shift in Ethiopia's international relations.

Ethiopia has now thrown the dice differently: Chinese, Indian and Turkish interests are taking over... times have changed.

The country is seeking investors to help achieve its grandiose Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP), which seeks to boost economic growth and achieve middle income status by 2025.

The construction of the railway is a key component of the GTP: a series of eight rail corridors totaling 4,744 kilometers, creating a series of key trade routes to neighboring Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan and -- crucially -- to Djibouti's port.

Two Chinese companies are contracted to build the $2.8 billion line connecting Addis Ababa to the Djiboutian border by 2016, and Turkish and Brazilian companies are slated to construct other segments of the nation-wide rail network.

Ethiopia is working day and night on these projects that potentially will create 5,000 local jobs, and allow it to boost exports of key commodities such as coffee and sesame. It also offers the opportunity to get Ethiopian workers trained by engineers from the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.

The company is building the line from Mieso to the Djibouti border at a cost of $1.2 billion, of which 70 percent is financed by the Export-Import Bank of China and 30 percent by the Ethiopian government.

Another Chinese company will build the Addis Ababa to Mieso segment.

While the economic benefits of the train -- which will be used for both freight and passenger transport, replacing slow and costly truck transport -- is widely recognized, some lament the seemingly inevitable death of the historic French-built diesel-powered train, which went out of service in 2008 after years of neglect.

If the old train ceases to operate, it will be a great loss for Ethiopia and for Dire Dawa, the commercial town in northeastern Ethiopia where the main train station and workshops were headquartered. The new station is slated to be built just outside Dire Dawa, a town renowned for its French atmosphere.

But the new electric train will launch Ethiopia into a modern era of rail transport. It will be one of the first electric trains in East Africa, will run at a speed of 120 kilometers an hour and will be both easier and cheaper to maintain, as it will be mechanized and rely on locally-produced hydropower to run.

It's also a source of pride for the workers involved in boosting development and contributing to Ethiopia's industrializing economy.

But whether the legacy of the Chinese in Ethiopia will have as strong an imprint as the French remains to be seen. Unlike the French, Chinese workers will not settle in Ethiopia permanently, and the cultural exchanges are limited to simple greetings exchanged in Mandarin between Chinese and Ethiopian workers.