Tanzania Launches Modern Railway Connecting Capitals

Tanzania has inaugurated a new 541-km standard gauge railway linking Dar es Salaam and Dodoma, aimed at enhancing infrastructure and boosting trade. Built by Turkish firm Yapi Merkezi, this project is a segment of a larger plan to establish a 2,561-km rail network, partly funded by a $1.46 billion loan.

Tanzania on Thursday inaugurated a 541-km modern standard gauge railway connecting its administrative and commercial capitals, built by a Turkish firm to boost transport infrastructure.

African nations are rapidly developing infrastructure like roads and railways, albeit with criticism over loan burdens from countries like China. Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan flagged off the railway at a ceremony in Dar es Salaam, prior to embarking on a four-hour journey to Dodoma.

The $3.1 billion railway was constructed by Turkish company Yapi Merkezi, marking the initial segments of a planned 2,561-km network aimed at enhancing domestic and regional trade. A $1.46 billion loan from Standard Chartered Bank Tanzania partly funded the recently inaugurated section.

"We are advancing the railway construction to Kigoma to connect with neighboring countries and improve business," Hassan stated to cheering crowds in the outskirts of Dar es Salaam. Her administration is also working on additional lines towards Mwanza and Kigoma, aiming to link with Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"This railway will revolutionize our commerce," Hassan remarked in Morogoro. Once linked with Burundi, the route is expected to facilitate the transport of three million tons of minerals, including nickel, to Dar es Salaam's port, according to Tanzanian finance officials.