A cargo train loaded with Ethiopia's world-famous coffee and leather products departed from Addis Ababa, heading eastward toward Djibouti port – one of the largest modern ports in East Africa – at a speed of 120 kilometers an hour. The brand new Ethiopia-Djibouti Railway, with a distance of 752 kilometers, is a vital trade route and a lifeline for Ethiopia's 120 million people.   

The railway has cut transportation time for freight goods from more than three days to less than 20 hours and reduced the cost by at least a third. It matters a lot as over 90 percent of landlocked Ethiopia's trade with the rest of the world relies on ports in neighboring Djibouti, and a large number of its population needs to be lifted out of poverty. 

For years, transportation between the two countries took more than seven days by road and the cost was very high. Nowadays, Ethiopia could further boost one of its main exports – coffee – to global markets at a faster speed and lower transportation cost.

Cover image by Shen Shiwei and Huang Ruiqi.