article: Currently no British companies are involved, despite Ethiopia approaching the UK for assistance at the start, and the project being constructed according to official UK railway industry standards. The centrepiece of the new rail system is the planned line between Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, and the neighbouring country of Djibouti. So far about a quarter of the preparation work has been completed on this key route, which will enable land-locked Ethiopia to access Djibouti City's port on the Horn of Africa coast. Meanwhile in Addis Ababa, construction of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) - similar to London's Docklands Light Railway - will give the capital its first mass transit system, transforming mobility in a city where nearly 90% of the population travel on foot, or by squeezing in to buses and taxis. Both projects began in early 2012 and are joint ventures between the Ethiopian government and Chinese companies that successfully bid for the $3.3bn (Â£2.2bn) Addis-Djibouti contract, and the $500m LRT project. "I was hoping that by now there would have been more input from UK companies," says John Pearson, a British railway engineer with more than 40 years' experience. Mr Pearson has since 2009 been technical adviser to the Ethiopian Railway Corporation (ERC), which is overseeing both projects. He describes the present lack of British involvement as unfortunate and something that needs to be addressed by UK government. In 2008, ERC general manager Getachew Betru visited the UK to explain Ethiopia's railway infrastructure plans. Mr Pearson, who met Mr Betru during his visit, decided to move to Ethiopia after being impressed by the project. Also, Mr Pearson hoped to promote British businesses within the Ethiopian railway sector. However, no other UK interests followed him to participate in what he calls "one of the most important transport infrastructure projects for Ethiopia and East Africa". The British embassy in Addis Ababa tried on many occasions to promote business opportunities offered by the railway infrastructure's development, according to Dessalegn Yigzaw, its trade development manager. But Ethiopia still has an image problem, Mr Yigzaw says, with UK companies failing to believe business is possible while associating the country with famine and drought. Mr Pearson echoes this sentiment, saying that UK companies remain nervous about participating in major projects in sub-Saharan Africa. While he acknowledges some companies have had bad experiences, he says this should not hold others back as the UK has capacity-building skills Ethiopia needs. Insufficient short-term profit margin is most likely putting UK companies off coming to Africa, says Manaye Ewunetu, managing director of London-based ME Consulting Engineers that specialises in Africa and the Middle East. "It might not look like a mistake now," Mr Ewunetu says, "but in the long term it could look like a mistake." The Addis-Djibouti corridor has always been an important strategic route for Ethiopia. The new 781km route eastward to Djibouti - offering the shortest distance from Addis Ababa to a seaport - is expected to haul 11.2 million tonnes of freight in its first year of operation in 2016, rising to 24.9 million tonnes
summary: Across the Ethiopian countryside 2,000km (1,243 miles) of railway is being built, the first phase of an endeavour to create a new 5,000km network.