An old railway track around Adey Abeba stands the test of time in an increasingly cosmopolitan city. When it was completed in 1917, the railway track ordered by Emperor Menelik II and constructed by the French provided a much-needed logistics channel. The 785Km line simplified the six-week mule trek which connected Addis Abeba with Djibouti ports. A six-year-old Chinese-built standard gauge railway has simplified movement between the two locations, with the management of its operations passed on to The Ethio-Djibouti Standard Gauge Railway Share Company in February.