(Unofficial Home Page - Disclaimer)
Background Photo Courtesy of Charles Moulton
Site Updated February 04,2009
See WAZNEW
for updates since then.
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In the meantime, please forgive any broken links you find on this website and enjoy all the information and
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From the 1890s until the late 1970s, the Eritrean Railway ran inland
from the Red Sea port of Massawa. At first, it only went to Ghinda.
Then,
it went on to Asmara, the capitol of the then Italian colony. Later, it
would go beyond Agordat toward the Sudanese border. After the British
took
over, in 1942, the line was stripped back to Agordat. This was the form
of the line from the mid-1930s until it was tore up in the 1970s.
****
The newly independent Eritrea is rebuilt the line to Asmara and they
have started building towards
Keren.
****
The line has been known under a number of names. The ones that I know
of are Eritrean Railway, Eritrean Railway and Cableway, Eritrean
Railway
and Ropeway, Imperial Ethiopian Railway, Northern Ethiopian Railway, Ferrovie
Eritree and Serpente d'acciaio (steel snake). The last name
was due to the large number of curves.
****
Sometime during the Italian era, a separate ropeway ran from Massawa
to Asmara. This was rendered inoperable during the British occupation
following
World War II. While I was there in the 1960s, the towers, cables and
buckets
were still present. Shortly thereafter, everything was tore out and
sold
for scrap.
****
The links below will take you to a variety of information about the
line and about Eritrea. It is worth a trip if you have the time.
Jennie Street
and Amanuel Ghebreselassie
have a new book out on the railway.
