Start of the standard gauge railway (SGR) journey between Dar es Salaam and Morogoro has been rescheduled. The Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) mad
Start of the standard gauge railway (SGR) journey between Dar es Salaam and Morogoro has been rescheduled. The Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) made the announcement and said the grand testing of the maiden journey, which was earlier slated to take place this month, has been pushed to May. This is due to delays in the arrival of wagons.
Dar es Salaam – Morogoro SGR
TRC Director-General Masanja Kadogosa said that the Covid-19 pandemic has also contributed to delays in the direct arrival of some wagons and locomotives from South Korean manufacturers Shung Shin Rolling Stock Technology Ltd. He, however, said that the delivery is in progress.
The SGR covers a stretch of 300 kilometres. Kadogosa said the government has already disbursed Sh882 billion ($375.9 million) for the purchase of rolling stock and locomotives that will be used when the construction is over. Tanzania’s electric train is expected to link the country with land-locked neighbouring countries and is one of the government’s flagship projects under the third five-year national development plan.
The project, which will be done in five phases, is expected to run up to Mwanza on the shores of Lake Victoria and Kigoma on the north eastern shores of Lake Tanganyika. There are plans to add connections to Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of the East African Railway Master Plan.