Editing Transport in Eritrea

{{Short description|none}}
{{ref improve|date=February 2013}}
[[File:Eritrean Airlines Boeing 767-300ER E3-AAO FCO 2005-6-7.png|thumb|right|An [[Eritrean Airlines]] Boeing 767-366/ER aircraft. The national carrier is based in [[Asmara]].]]
'''Transport in Eritrea''' includes [[highway]]s, [[airport]]s and [[seaport]]s, in addition to various forms of public and private vehicular, maritime and aerial transportation.

== Railways ==
{{main|Eritrean Railway}}
[[File:Ansaldo 442 steam locomotive in Eritrea.JPG|thumb|240px|This steam locomotive dating from the 1930s still operates, carrying both freight and tourists.]]As of 1999, there was a total of 317 kilometres of {{RailGauge|950mm}} ([[narrow gauge]]) rail line in Eritrea. The railway links [[Agordat]] and [[Asmara]] with the port of [[Massawa]]; however, it was nonoperational since 1978 except for about a 5 kilometre stretch that was reopened in Massawa in 1994. Rehabilitation of the remainder and of the rolling stock has occurred in recent years. By 2003, the line had been restored from Massawa all the way through to Asmara.

There are no rail links with adjacent countries.

== Highways ==
[[File:Rly line Massawa-Asmara 04.JPG|thumb|right|The Railway line Massawa-Asmara between [[Ghinda]] and [[Embatkalla]].]]
The Eritrean highway system is named according to the road classification. The three levels of classification are: primary (P), secondary (S), and tertiary (T). The lowest level road is tertiary and serves local interests. Typically they are improved earth roads that are occasionally paved. During the wet seasons these roads typically become impassable. The next higher level road is a secondary road and typically is a single-layered asphalt road that connects [[Districts of Eritrea|district]] capitals together and those to the regional capitals. Roads that are considered primary roads are those that are fully covered with asphalt (throughout their entire length), and, in general, they carry traffic between all the major towns in Eritrea. 

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
|+Primary Highways of Eritrea<ref name="MoPW">{{cite press release|title= Eritrea Road Network and Distances |publisher=Ministry of Public Works |date=August 2003}}</ref>
|-
! Title !! Start point !! Intermediate point !! End point !! Road type
|-
| P-1 || [[Asmara]] || [[Ghinda]] || [[Massawa]] || Asphalt
|-
| P-2 || [[Asmara]] || [[Adi Tekelezan]] || [[Keren, Eritrea|Keren]] || Asphalt
|-
| P-3 || [[Asmara]] || [[Adi Keyh]] || [[Senafe]] || Asphalt
|-
| P-4 || [[Asmara]] || [[Mendefera]] || [[Mareb River]]<br />(''border with Ethiopia'') || Asphalt
|-
| P-5 || [[Keren, Eritrea|Keren]] || [[Barentu, Eritrea|Barentu]] || [[Tesseney]] || Asphalt
|-
| P-6 || [[Massawa]] || [[Tiyo]] || [[Asseb]] || Gravel
|-
| P-7 || [[Asseb]] || ''n/a'' || [[Bure, Africa|Bure]] || Asphalt
|-
| P-8 || [[Gahtelai]] || [[Shebah]] || [[She'eb]] || Asphalt
|-
| P-9 || [[Serejeqa]] || ''n/a'' || [[Shebah]] || Gravel
|}
<br />''total:''
4,010&nbsp;km
<br />''paved:''
874&nbsp;km
<br />''unpaved:''
3,136&nbsp;km (1996 est.)

== Seaports and harbours ==
[[File:Massawa harbour.JPG|thumb|right|The [[Massawa]] harbor/port was created by the [[Italian Eritrea|Italians]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://dadfeatured.blogspot.com/2018/07/italian-massaua-was-name-used-during.html| title = Italian Massawa}}</ref>
]]
=== Red Sea ===
* [[Asseb]] (Aseb)
* [[Massawa]] (Mits'iwa)

== Merchant marine ==
<br />''total:''
5 ships (with a volume of {{GT|1,000|disp=long}} or over) totaling {{GT|16,069}}/{{DWT|19,549|metric|disp=long}}
<br />''ships by type:''
[[bulk carrier]] 1, [[cargo ship]] 1, [[LNG carrier|liquefied gas]] 1, [[oil tanker|petroleum tanker]] 1, [[roll-on/roll-off ship]] 1 (1999 est.)

== Airports ==
There are three international airports, one in the capital, [[Asmara International Airport]], and the two others in the coastal cities, Massawa ([[Massawa International Airport]]) and Assab ([[Assab International Airport]]). The airport in [[Asmara]] received all international flights into the country as of March 2007, as well as being the main airport for domestic flights. 

=== Airports - with paved runways ===
{{see also|List of airports in Eritrea}}
[[File:Nasair Eritrea Boeing 737-200-1.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Nasair]] Eritrea [[Boeing 737-200]] aircraft at the [[Asmara International Airport]].]]

{|class="wikitable"
!Name
!Length of the runway
|-
|[[Asmara International Airport|Asmara]]
|{{Convert|3000|m}}
|-
|[[Massawa International Airport|Massawa]]
|{{Convert|3500|m}}
|-
|[[Assab International Airport|Assab]]
|{{Convert|3515|m}}
|}

=== Airports - with unpaved runways ===
<br />''total:''
18
<br />''over 3,047 m:''
2
<br />''2,438 to 3,047 m:''
2
<br />''1,524 to 2,437 m:''
6
<br />''914 to 1,523 m:''
6
<br />''under 914 m:''
2 (1999 est.)

==Cableway==
The [[Asmara-Massawa Cableway]], built by [[Italy]] in the 1930s, connected the port of [[Massawa]] with the city of [[Asmara]].  The [[United Kingdom|British]] later dismantled it during their eleven-year occupation after defeating Italy in [[World War II]].

==References==
<references />

==See also==
{{portal|Eritrea}}
* [[Eritrea]]

{{Economy of Eritrea}}
{{Africa in topic|Transport in}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transport In Eritrea}}
[[Category:Transport in Eritrea| ]]