Asmara–Massawa Railway
Eritrean Railway
A narrow-gauge mountain railway built during the Italian colonial era. Steam locomotives cross tunnels and cliffs as they descend from a 2,400-metre plateau to the Red Sea at Massawa.
The Eritrean Railway was built between 1887 and 1911. The Asmara–Massawa section is about 118 km long, with a drop of roughly 2,400 metres, more than 30 tunnels and many bridges. After the war the line was dismantled, but retired railway workers restored it with basic tools. Today it runs century-old Mallet steam locomotives and motorised rail cars, offered only as chartered sightseeing trips. Common routes run from Asmara to Nefasit or Arbaroba. The trips depart from Asmara station and the locomotive workshop, where you can also visit the engine shed.
Opening hours
Operates by private charter
Nearby sights
- Enda Mariam Cathedral
- Great Mosque of Asmara
- Medebar Market
- Cinema Impero
- Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary
- Harnet Avenue
- Asmara Theatre
- Bar Zilli