Ethiopia. Addis Ababa. Passengers wait on tramway station. Addis Ababa Light Rail is a light rail transportation system in Addis Ababa. A 17-kilometre line running from the city centre to industrial areas in the south of the city opened on 20 September 2015. Service began on 9 November 2015 for the second line (west-east). The total length of both lines is 32 kilometres with 32 stations. Trains are expected to be able to reach maximum speeds of 70 km/h. The railway was contracted by the China Railway Group Limited and is nowdays operated by the Shenzhen Metro Group. The Ethiopian Railways Corporation began construction of the double track electrified light rail transit project in December 2011 after securing funds from the Export-Import Bank of China. This light-rail system was the first to be built in sub-saharan Africa. Addis Ababa is the capital city and the name of a region of Ethiopia. 20.11.15 © 2015 Didier Ruef