Construction began at Massawa in 1887, and it wasn't until 1911 that they eventually reached Asmara, so were the dificulties they had to overcome building the line.
Der Bau begann 1887 in Massawa; erst 1911 wurde Asmara erreicht, was die enormen Schwierigkeiten verdeutlicht, welche beim Bau der Strecke überwunden werden mussten.