At 8.00am on Wednesday 10th December 2014, a daily routine unfolds in the village of Arbaroba, high in the mountains of Eritrea, as children head off to school and ladies wait for the bus to take them to shop for their provisions in the street markets of Nefasit. 1938-built Mallets 442-55 and 442-59 depart from the station heading a morning mixed train, complete with local ‘day trippers’, heading to Asmara for an out of daily routine ‘special excursion’, a memorable occasion for many locals, some children on board never having travelled on a steam-hauled train. The pride in the railway and the prospect of a better future, shared by all inhabitants encountered, can be appreciated here, as just about everyone can be seen following the passage of the train over the viaduct from below. The lack of male inhabitants in these villages was particularly notable, either working away peacefully or in conflict, having fled the country for Europe, or serving an indeterminate length of time undergoing mandatory national service, Eritrea still being in conflict with neighbouring Ethiopia over border issues at this time. Happily, a peace agreement was signed in Saudi Arabia between the two countries in September 2018. Subsequently, UN Sanctions against Eritrea have been lifted and aid for the railway is now being provided by the Italian Government and diesel locos have arrived. The wind of change is blowing for this country……..
© Gordon Edgar – All rights reserved. Please do not use my images without my explicit permission
Posted by Kingmoor Klickr on 2018-12-01 10:01:35
Tagged: , Eritrea , Eritrean Railway , Horn of Africa , Africa , narrow gauge , railwayl , Mallet , 442-55 , 442-59 , Arbaroba , Asmara , Ethiopia , peace agreement , Gordon Edgar
