TAZARA’s infrastructure rehabilitation to boost annual freight capacity to 2 mln tons

Published: September 12,2024

The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) said on Tuesday the rehabilitation of the railway line following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) will see the railway’s transformation into a key driver of regional economic development, aligning with the aspirations of the people of both Tanzania and Zambia.

The TAZARA said in a statement issued by its headquarters in the port city of Dar es Salaam that it projected that annual tonnage will rise from the current combined average of 500,000 metric tons for all operators to approximately 2 million metric tons. On Sept. 4, the pivotal MoU for the concession of the TAZARA was successfully signed in the Chinese capital, Beijing, during the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, marking a significant milestone for the central corridor and the broader African region. The statement said the milestone, witnessed by the heads of state of China, Tanzania, and Zambia, was poised to catalyze the revitalization of TAZARA’s infrastructure and rolling stock, positioning the railway to achieve its full potential. 

According to the statement, TAZARA is currently engaged in active negotiations with the China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation, one of China’s leading state-owned overseas engineering contracting enterprises and the original builder of TAZARA. “We aim to finalize the concession agreement by the end of the year,” said the statement signed by Conrad Simuchile, TAZARA’s head of public relations. 

Following the agreement, it was anticipated that the rehabilitation of both infrastructure and rolling stock will take approximately two years, said the statement. The statement added that the concession would cover a period of up to 30 years, during which TAZARA’s operational capacity was expected to increase substantially. The 

TAZARA railway, known as the “Uhuru Railway” or “Independent Railway,” was constructed as a turnkey project between 1970 and 1975 through an interest-free loan from China, with commercial operations starting in July 1976, covering 1,860 km from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to New Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia.