Tanzania’s planned 1 219 km standard gauge rail project is expected to be the best in Africa, once completed.
The first phase of the country’s high-speed electric railway line – the construction of a 300 km line from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro – is being undertaken by Turkish company Yapi Merkezi in partnership with Portuguese firm Mota-Engil Africa, according to AllAfrica. Once finished, the 300 km line will be able to carry passengers and cargo of up to 35 tons, and transport a total of 17 million tons of freight per year, at a speed of up to 160 km an hour.
According to Maizo Mgedzi, project manager of Tanzania’s state-run railway firm Reli Assets Holding Company: ‘When you start with something new, the first step is to attract customers by offering them reliable, fast and timely service, and above all by avoiding time wastage along the route.’ He adds that one passenger train will operate three to four trips a day between Dar es Salaam and Morogoro, thus making it possible to have a total of nine to 12 trips a day, but the number can be increased as passengers numbers grow.
Having commenced in May 2017, the first phase of the project is 20% complete, with project finalisation expected by November 2019.
