Transportation
National and International Connections
Addis Ababa is an important regional and international transportation hub. The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, the only major rail link in Ethiopia today (Asmara railway is now in Eritrea) has been the most influential in the development of the capital as a primate city. This line stretches 480 miles connecting Addis Ababa to the nearest major port at the entrance to the Red Sea as well as Dire Dawa and Nazareth (Area Handbook 50). Through this line, the majority of Ethiopia's agricultural and manufactured products are prepared for export.
Air transport facilities have also been influential in shaping the geography of Addis Ababa and spurring investment and development. The city has two airports, the old Lideta Airport southwest of the city and the Bole International Airport to the southeast. By providing international connections these facilities have established Addis Ababa as the most global city in East Africa as it attracts conventions and tourists alike. Foreign embassies, hotels and wealthy residential neighborhoods have also grown around both airports as the upper class relocated from the central city to be near these transport centers (Brunn & Williams 177). Bole International is connected by rail to the terminal of the Ethiopian Railway in south-central Addis Ababa (Brunn & Williams 277).
Local Transport Services
A small bus in the foreground and the Wee Eeut mini-van behind it are the cheapest and fastest ways to get around Addis Ababa for those without cars (Photo courtesy of Tom Re).
For the vast majority of Addis Ababa's residents, transportation is a local or regional endeavor. Though cars, trucks and motorbikes clog the narrow streets, most residents do not own their own automobiles. The fastest and easiest transportation around town, according to visitor John Bolton is:
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in mini-vans called "Wee Eeuts", which drive through the city or its outskirts on specific routes. Transport in these vehicles is an adventure in itself. The drivers usually go real fast and there is always room for a few more customers! The name, 'Wee Eeut', is derived from the name given to the old communist party meetings. Everyone was forced to go, but they would just sit around and say nothing. So they gave these group taxis the same name as the old meetings...lots of people sitting around and saying nothing (Bolton).
Bolton also acknowledged the importance of roads for pedestrian transportation in the city and its outskirts:
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The more we traveled, the more I realized that the 'road' was the artery, the life blood, of the people. All facets of life center around the road. Since virtually no one owns vehicles, every one walks along the road, coming or going to town, visiting neighbors, selling goods, and bartering. Cars and trucks play a minor role compared to all this [pedestrian] activity. The road belongs to the people, not the cars.
New Infrastructure
Relief from the congestion of the main roads which radiate from the Piazza is coming. Construction is under way on the government's largest transportation project, a ring-highway scheduled for completion in 2002 (Addis Tribune 3/20/97).
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