Tanzania railway repairs on course

The main railway line from Dar es Salaam into the heart of the country, under water some months ago following torrential rains and eventually severely damaged, will be up and running again by late May, it was learned from a source in Tanzania.

Many spots where the rails had been dislodged have already been fixed up and the area of major damage is now the focus of the work teams dispatched there by the railway management.

Engineering personnel of the Tanzanian armed forces reportedly assisted in the repair of crucial sections an the opening up of stations, an effort train users will surely appreciate and will thank their “men in green” when the opportunity arises.

Services will, however, only resume when a full inspection of the line has taken place, and upon opening, the rail will initially only carry cargo trains, before passenger services would then follow some time later when all safety aspects had been reviewed.

In a related development, it was also learned that China was interested in participating in the building and modernization of railway lines in the future in Tanzania, connecting Rwanda and Burundi from Isaka. China built the Tazara railway between Zambia and Tanzania’s main port of Dar es Salaam, and Chinese construction firms are expected to submit bids just as soon as the participating countries are ready to go ahead from the planning into the pre-construction phase.