The Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania Hon. Dr. Philip Isdor Mpango, has laid the foundation stone for the construction of the 165km Tabora-Isaka SGR, Part of a massive railway line in the country.
The value of the contract for the construction of the project is 900.1 million US dollars equal to 2.6 trillion Tanzanian funds, and the construction period is 42 months and this project is expected to be completed in March, 2026
The Vice President has explained that the goal of the Government is to reduce the travel time and the cost of goods for the citizens due to the cost of transporting raw materials and goods together to improve life. Dr. Mpango said that the construction of a modern railway is an opportunity to make good use of the geography of our country so that it becomes the center of transportation from and into this region of East and South Africa.
The Vice President has emphasized that once the project is completed, the railway will need operating equipment including freight wagons, passengers and locomotives. Recognizing the importance of investment, the Government has entered into contracts for the purchase of 89 passenger carriages, 19 electric train heads, 10 modern train sets (Electrical Multiple Unit), this investment is worth 1.2 trillion Tanzanians.
Along with reducing the cost and time of transportation, the construction of strategic projects has been providing employment opportunities for citizens, contracts and tenders for Tanzanians.
“According to the current statistics, the project has employed a total of more than 20,000 direct workers and paid a salary of 102 million US dollars equal to 237.9 billion Tanzanian, for three parts implemented by tenders worth 820 million US dollars equal to 1.91 trillion Tanzanian funds have been released and also the Government has collected taxes totaling 450 million dollars equal to Tanzanian funds 1.05 trillion shillings” said the Vice President.
Minister of Construction and Transport Prof. Makame Mbarawa explained that investors in the construction of a modern railway have great benefits for Tanzanians and members of the East African community, for example the cost of one container from European and Asian countries to the port of Dar es Salaam costs between 2,000 to 3,000 US dollars compared to shipping it to Congo by road costs 9,000 to 15,000 US dollars and the travel time up to 30 days compared to this rail when the container is loaded it can take a trip of up to 26 to 36 hours to reach Kindu.
In addition, Prof. Mbarawa noted the great contribution that exists in the investment of railway infrastructure in supporting the ports in the country. “The railway has a great contribution to other infrastructures including ports and roads, as it will contribute to increasing the efficiency of our ports by carrying a large load at the same time and reducing the accumulation of loads in the port, it will also reduce the damage to the roads and regular maintenance and make them last” he said Minister of Construction and Transport.
Director General TRC, Ndugu Masanja Kadogosa gave a report on the progress of the first phase of the construction of the modern railway where he said, The first section Dar e Salaam to Morogoro construction has reached 97.77 percent, the second section Morogoro to Makutupora construction has reached 91.79 percent, the section third Makutupora to Tabora construction has reached 3.95 percent, and detailed design and the fifth section Isaka to Mwanza construction has reached 22.71 percent.
Kadogosa added that, the remaining work is to connect the energy to the cooling stations and enter it into the 25 kilowatt voltage system which is the electricity required for operation, testing and inspection of this work is ongoing before entering the electricity. For the section from Morogoro to Makutupora, the construction of 220 kilowatts is ongoing and has a total of 410 kilometers and the contract is 160.2 billion shillings, so far the contractors have been paid 44.5 billion shillings and 29.31 billion each.
“The importance of this piece is to connect the two countries to use the port of Dar es Salaam for transportation and of particular importance is to transport the nickel ore present in Musongati because without a railway the weight of these minerals will not be able to be transported at a low price and cost including maintaining our roads” said Kadogosa.
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