New Addis Ababa-Djibouti train to launch With Chinese conductors at the helm, a fleet of shiny new trains will on Wednesday begin plying a new route from the Ethiopian capital to Djibouti, in a major boost to both economies. The 750 kilometre (460 mile) railway, built by two Chinese companies, will link Addis Ababa to the Red Sea port city of Djibouti in about 10 hours, a far cry from the current excruciating multi-day trip along a congested, pot-holed road. Some 1,500 trucks a day lumber along the road, carrying 90 percent of trade from landlocked Ethiopia to the port which is a key hub to Asia, Europe and the rest of Africa. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES