Passengers standing on the roof of the old train before it leaves from the railway in Shinile. Photos: Amanuel Sileshi/AFP
The train pulled out of Dire Dawa station with a creak and disappeared into the pre-dawn gloom, the lights that once illuminated its decades-old carriages having stopped working long ago.
Over a century after the French laid a railroad in eastern Ethiopia, the old track remains indispensable for trade and transport, even with the recent arrival of a modern, Chinese-built line.
Uh-oh! Daily quota reached.
Passengers standing on the roof of the old train before it leaves from the railway in Shinile. Photos: Amanuel Sileshi/AFP
A genreal view of the maintenance area at the old Franco-Ethiopian train station in Dire Dawa.
Photo by Amanuel Sileshi/AFP
Passengers waiting to leave after they boarded the old train in Shinile, Ethiopia.
Workers operating a train at the old Franco-Ethiopian train station in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.
Passengers buying goods after boarding the old train in Shinile.
A man passing an exhibition at the old Franco-Ethiopian train station in Dire Dawa.
Belay Mulu, 53, a maintenance worker is seen in the workshop at the old Franco-Ethiopian train station in Dire Dawa.
A cleaner sweeping the floor inside the train at the old Franco-Ethiopian train station.
A general view of the first Ethiopian train station offices at the old Franco-Ethiopian train station in Dire Dawa.
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