Ethiopia's first modern urban commuter rail service has been launched in the capital Addis Ababa.

The $470M project, which was mostly funded by China's Exim Bank, is the first fully electrified train service in sub-Saharan Africa.

Hundreds of people turned up for Sunday's launch and enjoyed free rides on the trains, which are being touted as the solution to the city's growing road transport problems.

Emmanuel Igunza attended the launch of the commuter train in Addis Ababa.