80 years after the railway was built, it remains very important to the Ethiopian economy. Especially since 1998 when a border dispute turned to war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The tiny country of Djibouti is now Ethiopia's only point of access to the sea and the majority of Ethiopia's imports and exports go through it.

The journey from Addis Abeba to Djibouti lasts two days with an average train speed of 30 km/h. There are numerous stops along the way, mostly in the middle of nowhere, where traders spontaniously appearto sell food and drinks to the travel weary customers.