I The model Standard Gauge Railway infrastructure in Tanzania

The model Standard Gauge Railway infrastructure in Tanzania

When fully operationalized, the new Tanzania SGR is expected to replace the old meter gauge railway system, reduce road congestion and reclaim market share lost to trucks over the years

By James Odero

For many years, the railway sector in East Africa has been on the decline for various reasons. Other than abandonment and closure in the case of Uganda, railway infrastructures in Tanzania and Kenya have been affected by poor conditions of track and declining freight volumes as well as passenger numbers respectively. However, with the signing of the East African Railways Masterplan in 2008, the sector is poised for a major turnaround. The history of the region’s joint railway transport management can be traced back to the 1940’s when the East African Railways and Harbors Corporation (EAR&H) operated the railways and harbors in East Africa.

The company was the result of a merger among three member states of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, which brought their respective railway corporations under a single network.

Later in the 1970’s, the EAR&H railway network was split into three national railways namely; Kenya Railways Corporation, Uganda Railways Corporation and Tanzania Railways Corporation. The split relinquished the management and operationalization of the corporations to individual mother countries.

In 2004, the East African Community (EAC) issued a summit directive following a near collapse of the railways system in the region, which led to the preparation of the Master Plan.

According to the Master Plan that seeks to guide the development of railway subsector in the region, better management will spur business which will attract private investors to the sector. Apart from rejuvenating the existing lines serving Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, the plan also proposes extending the lines to Rwanda and Burundi and eventually to South Sudan and Ethiopia.

Tanzania Standard Gauge Railway

At the same time, the plan projects that the ultimate revival of the sector will depend on sound strategies for upgrading services. Perhaps this is the idea that Tanzania

premised her ambitious SGR project on.

Launched in 2007, the Tanzania Standard Gauge Railway is on track to become the first operator in the region to use electric powered trains.

According to a report by The Citizen in March, Tanesco, the State power utility firm, announced that they were ready to supply 70 megawatts of electricity to power the first phase of the SGR when it begins operations.

When fully operationalized, the new Tanzania SGR is expected to replace the old meter gauge railway system, reduce road congestion and reclaim market share lost to trucks over the years. It is also intended to ensure transportation of goods at competitive rates, provide support for the development of industries, create jobs and provide fast, reliable and safe transport of commuters and passengers.

Funding

Unlike the neighboring Kenya whose SGR project was fully funded by a loan from China, Tanzania sought to fund the first two phases of its SGR project using locally generated revenue and short-term temporary loans.

However, the government has continued to receive financial aid from donors and institutions including a 1.45 billion USD from Turkish company, Yepi Merkezi. The total cost of phase one and two of the project was estimated at 2.35 billion USD with Tanzania contributing 950 million USD.

In January, two Chinese firms; China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and China Railway Construction Company (CRCC) won the contract to build the fifth and the last phase of the SGR which connects Isaka to the Lake City of Mwanza. The 341 km Standard Gauge Railway line will cost 1.32 billion USD and will be financed by the government.

Routes and Design

The 2,561km Standard Gauge Railway network will link Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Kigoma, Katavi and neighboring countries of Rwanda, Burundi and the DRC. The construction of the line comprises five phases covering a 1,219 kilometers long track.

The first phase begins in Dar es Salaam covering 300 kilometers to Morogoro. From Morogoro, the line extends 422 kilometers to Makutupora where the second phase ends. The third phase begins at Makutupora and runs 294 kilometers to Tabora.

The fourth phase which is also the shortest runs through 130 kilometers to Isaka from where the fifth and final phase of 249 kilometers begins to the lakeside city of Mwanza. According to Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC), the first and second phases were launched on April 2017 and March 2018 respectively.

Conclusion

With the SGR project gaining traction in Tanzania, a lot of benefits and value addition for locals and beyond can be adduced. The new SGR line is set to provide the much-needed connectivity and transport links between major cities of Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Morogoro and their surrounding which could not be achieved with the existing meter gauge line.

By linking Tanzania to landlocked countries such as Rwanda, Burundi and the DRC, the Tanzania SGR by extension provides the Central and East Africa with coastal access, opening the region for trade and new opportunities economic development.

Tanzania Railways Corporation projects that the new SGR line will reduce the freight by 40 percent, significantly reduce pollution by removing more trucks from the road and decongest traffic for vehicles using the highway.