| Year |
Date |
Event |
| 1887 |
January |
Italians defeated at Dogali |
| 1887 |
November 24 |
Construction starts inland from Massawa to Emkulu |
| 1887 |
|
First section of Asmara-Munkulo railway opens |
| 1888 |
|
Generale San Marzano arrives at Massawa and retakes Sa'ati (8km inland
from Dogali) and builds rail line to it. |
| 1888 |
March |
Opened first 25 km to traffic |
| 1889 |
December |
Ethiopian treaty grants Eritrean land to Italy |
| 1890 |
January 1 |
Eritrea Declaired Italian Colony |
| 1904 |
|
Ghinda Reached |
| 1910 |
|
Railway Reached Nefasit |
| 1911 |
December 6 |
Reached Asmara |
| 1914 |
October 1 |
Dem Sebai |
| 1921 |
October 1 |
Halib Mentel |
| 1922 |
July 1 |
Reached Keren |
| 1924 |
|
FIAT Claims First Diesel Delivered to Eritrea |
| 1925 |
February 16 |
Railway Reached Agat |
| 1926 |
March 12 |
Darotai |
| 1926 |
May 7 |
Mai Adarte |
| 1927 |
March 21 |
Umfutat |
| 1928 |
February 17 |
Railway Reached Agordat |
| 1928 |
|
Shops moved from Ghinda to Asmara |
| 1932 |
March 7 |
Reached Bascia |
| 1932 |
|
Design of Ropeway (teleferica) Started |
| 1935 |
|
First Littorina arrives |
| 1935 |
|
Construction of Ropeway began |
| 1937 |
March 18 |
Inauguration of Ropway Betwen Asmara and Massawa |
| 1941 |
April 1 |
British control over Asmara |
| 1940s |
|
Line from Agordat to Biscia abandon |
| 1944 |
|
Ropeway rendered inoperable by the British...strips Eritrea of some
$86 Million in property |
| 1952 |
September 11 |
Eritrea Federated with Ethiopia |
|
|
|
| 1957 |
|
First diesel locomotives delivered to Railway. Some rail
and other materiel taken to Addis to Djibuti line. |
| 1962 |
November 14 |
Eritrea's Federation with Ethiopia dissolved |
| 1963 |
|
Ropeway Structure dismantling begins |
| 1964 |
|
Peak year of operation for line |
| 1965 |
|
Ropeway completely dismantled |
| 1965 |
|
Peak year of operation...446,000 passengers and 200,000 tons of freight. |
| 1975 |
|
Railway Destroyed by Derg regime |
| 1993 |
May 24 |
Eritrean Declares Independence |
| 1994 |
|
Intent to rebuild Railway Announced. President declairs rebuilding
railway a national priority |
| 1995 |
|
Construction Begins |
| 1997 |
January 4 |
First 38 km of Railway (Amatere-Demas) opens |
| 1998 |
|
Reached Ghinda |
| 2000 |
January 1 |
Line opened to Embatkalla |
