Marking a major milestone in the Tanzania SGR project, the Tanzanian government has just recently conducted the Tanzania SGR Inaugural Tests runoff a train on its brand new Standard Gauge Railway between the city of Dar es Salaam to the capital of the country Dodoma. The flagging of the first train on its very first journey on the SGR was done by the Prime Minister of the country, Kassim Majaliwa. The test came after President Samia Suluhu Hassan delivered an ultimatum to the state-run Tanzania Railway Corporation to begin service between the two cities by the end of July 2024. It marks a significant milestone for Tanzania as it attempts to modernise its outdated transport infrastructure.
The new Tanzania SGR project is expected to commence its operations in the month of July this year as part of the Tanzanian Government’s $10 billion SGR International Strategic Railway Programme, with the inaugural trip transporting a small group of the local religious leaders of the country to its trial passenger operations in order to mark the celebrations of 60 years since Tanzania became independent.
“This day marks history towards the culmination of a total of 60 years of the Union of the Republic of Tanzania-with the launch of the standard gauge railway that runs all the way from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma indicating that there is still a small part remaining in order for us to start the official journey of the project as a country,” Prime Minister Majaliwa said in a statement.
Commencement of the Tanzania SGR Operations
The ceremony that launched the inaugural service of the SGR project also saw the Tanzanian government promise its citizens that the 627-kilometer line would be opened by July 2024, having delivered 65 of the total 89 passenger carriages that have been ordered for the project. The president was quoted saying, “I have been hearing about changes in the start dates for train services via the SGR railway from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma, and indeed, citizens are tired of excuses; they want to see the railway in operation. Therefore, I direct that by the end of July 2024, SGR railway services between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma must have commenced.”
Tanzania Railways Corporations (TRC) also gave an affirmation that 9 of its all new 19 passenger and cargo locomotives had been already delivered for the SGR project of the country. Moreover, just one of the ten Hyundai Rotem EMUs on order was currently in its possession.
Additionally, despite celebrating the major milestone that marked the beginning of the passenger trials, TRC also mentioned that they were particularly very keen to commence the same trials for the cargo operations on the SGR.
Tanzania SGR Inaugural Tests for Cargo Trains
The director general of the TRC Ndugu Masanja said that they were very much longing for the cargo carriages since that is where more economic benefits and opportunities lie. The Dar es Salaam-Dodoma railway line is keeping up with the heavy investment with the country having been accorded $200 million loan from the World Bank so as to upgrade the existing railway line that runs between Dar es Salaam and Isaka.
Also read: $12.8 Billion Uganda SGR Project Commences
