Dar-Moro SGR maiden trip deferred as wagons delivery delayed

A carriage for the Tanzania SGR project is unloaded at the port in Dar es Salaam on November 25, 2022. The grand testing of the maiden SGR journey between Dar es Salaam and Morogoro, which was earlier slated to take place this month, has been pushed to May. PHOTO | ERICKY BONIPHACE | AFP

By EMMANUEL ONYANGO

More by this Author

The Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) has announced the rescheduling of the start of the standard gauge railway (SGR) journey between Dar es Salaam and

Morogoro, covering a stretch of 300 kilometres, to May this year due to delays in the arrival of wagons.

TRC issued a statement on Friday saying that the grand testing of the maiden journey, which was earlier slated to take place this month, has been pushed to May.

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.

He added that the government has already disbursed Tsh882 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.