Tanzania’s First Ever SGR Train to Start Operations by December

By Prosper Makene The Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) has announced that the country’s first ever Standard Gauge Railway (SGR)’s train from Dar es Salaam – Dodoma will start operations in December this year with the project almost complete. Upon completion, the SGR will link Tanzania with Rwanda, Burundi and the DR Congo. This was said by the corporation’s director General Mr Masanja Kadogosa who briefed members of the Parliamentary Standing Committees of Infrastructure Development and Public Investments. Kadogosa told the lawmakers that the construction of the SGR from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro and Morogoro to Dodoma is progressing well, saying the project will be ready by December this year. “We are planning the operational trial run to be in December this year and the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (LATRA) will oversee safety and effectiveness of the railway line before issuing a clearance to start official operations,” the TRC Chief said. He added: “The fares to our newly SGR transportation will be reasonable and affordable so as to be affordable to everyone due to the fact that passenger trains is more of a service than commercial.” On his part, the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Infrastructure Development’s Chairperson, Mr Moshi Kakoso told the TRC management to engage in the construction the locals who are living along the SGR project as a move to build up a sense of project ownership. However, the new Tanzania SGR, is intended to replace the old, inefficient metre-gauge railway system and reduce road congestion. It is also expected to decrease freight costs by 40%. Each freight train is expected to transport up to 10,000 tonnes, equivalent to 500 lorry-loads. The project is being implemented in 5 phases: 202km Phase 1 (Dar es Salaam–Morogoro) Section, 348km Phase 2 (Morogoro–Makutopora) Section, 294km Phase 3 (Makutopora–Tabora) Section; 130km Phase 4 (Tabora-Isaka) Section, and 341km Phase 5 (Isaka–Mwanza) Section. In 2017, the government started the construction of the first phase the 202km (Dar es Salaam–Morogoro) Section was contracted to a 50/50 consortium of Yapi Merkezi of Turkey and Mota-Engil of Portugal. In September 2018, the government of Tanzania secured a US $1.46bn soft loan from Standard Chartered Bank, for the funding of Phases 1 and 2, a total of 550km. Section 2 was also contracted to the Yapi Merkezi and Mota-Engil consortium. This section stretches from Morogoro through Dodoma to Makutopora in Singida. The stations after Morogoro will be Mkata, Kilosa, Kidete, Gulwe, Igunda, Dodoma, Bahi and Makutopora. Meanwhile, Prof Makame Mbarawa Works and Transport minister said recently that the Phase-three of the project (Makutopora-Tabora) worth 4.4 trn/- will be completed in October 2025. According to the minister, there will be no additional time for the contractor who will cause delaying in the ongoing construction of the SGR phases.