Construction World September 2024

ROADS & BRIDGES

Ethiopian-Sudan rail project on track FOLLOWING A FEASIBILITY STUDY At Africa Rail, which took place from 25 to 26 June at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, globally trusted infrastructure consulting firm AECOM showcased its significant experience and expertise in the rail sector in Africa. Globally, it is currently ranked #1 in terms of transit rail, taking part in major projects such as the feasibility study for the Ethiopia-Sudan Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project.

T he SGR project will link Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to Port Sudan on Sudan’s Red Sea coast. The transport sector goal is to contribute towards socioeconomic development by providing an efficient and effective transport system in Ethiopia and Sudan. The generally accepted route is Addis Ababa-Awash Kombolcha-Weldiya, on to Wereta, Gonder, Metema, Galabat to Gadarif, Kassala, Haiya and to the port at Port Sudan, a total estimated distance of a staggering 1 522 km. “This ambitious SGR project has significant implications for regional connectivity and trade,” comments James Anafi, Market Sector Lead: Rail, Africa at AECOM. “The main aim is to enhance transportation links between Ethiopia and Sudan to facilitate efficient movement of goods, people and services.” The feasibility study that AECOM played a major part in assessed whether the railway line is technically, financially, economically, socially and environmentally viable. It considered factors such as terrain, engineering challenges, economic benefits and environmental impact. It provides a sound basis for decision-making regarding the investment project. In addition, due diligence from the study can attract funding from various sources, including development partners and the private sector. The African

Development Bank (AfDB) approved a USD1,2 million grant to finance the feasibility study, which was completed in December 2022. Anafi says the feasibility study became necessary due to Ethiopia experiencing rapid economic growth. “The challenge is that Ethiopia is landlocked and is quite a vast country. To obtain accesses to seaports, which are important for economic growth, requires extensive railway infrastructure.” A major challenge is that the route extends across Ethiopia and Sudan to reach Port Sudan. “That was the aim of the feasibility study,” confirms Anafi. “The vast scope of the project required a lot of resources and ingenuity to have the feasibility study completed successfully.” A challenge was balancing the strategic interests of the two different countries, which were not always aligned. While the project was driven mainly by Ethiopia, the bulk of the route is actually through Sudan. “It starts from the middle of Ethiopia but has to cross Sudan to reach the port. Hence, Sudan was a significant stakeholder and there were different requirements that had to be balanced.” AECOM’s strategy was predicated on being as collaborative, fair and inclusive as possible to all stakeholders. “Everyone had

24 CONSTRUCTION WORLD SEPTEMBER 2024