An electric fast train now links the capital to the country's commercial hub Dar es Salaam.
Shaped and coloured like the country’s rare gemstone, tanzanite, the sparkling new railway terminal in Dar es Salaam is a symbol of Tanzania’s transport ambitions.
The 460km Dar es Salaam to Dodoma leg has been open since August, when President Samia Suluhu described the railway as “a pathway to our future” that would "enhance our standing in the region". The electric train has also made it smooth and convenient for the ordinary Tanzanian. A far cry from the experience on the road or the older slower, narrower train that this service replaces.
Machibya Masanja tells the BBC that the demand has been so high that "we cannot meet it with those trips we are making per day. We expect the number will double or triple." There are plans afoot to add more journeys. One man later told the BBC that he felt the intense scrutiny seemed unnecessary, and there does not seem to have been any direct security threat, but the atmosphere is good-natured.
From the initial groundbreaking in 2017, the first section had been scheduled for completion in 2019. But it faced lengthy delays which the railway company attributes to Covid and construction costs as well as labour issues.Turkish firm Yapi Merkezi is the main contractor for the route’s first four sections, including the Dar es Salaam to Dodoma segment, while Chinese firms are building the other two.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Tanzania's news sites banned over animation deemed critical of Samia Suluhu HassanThe viral animation referred to a recent wave of abductions and killings of opposition activists.
Read more »
Tanzania: TZ Registers Notable Progress in Road Network ExpansionMASSIVE road infrastructure projects are being implemented across Tanzania, positioning the country among the sub-Saharan African nations with the largest road networks.
Read more »
Heavy Drum Tossed Into Air By Dust Devil In Manyara, TanzaniaA powerful dust devil swept across Manyara, Tanzania, lifting a heavy drum off the ground and sending it soaring high into the air. The incredible footage has gone viral on social media.
Read more »
Tanzania's Maasai Women Adopt Climate-Smart Solutions to Tame DroughtIn the scorching sun of Mikese village in Tanzania's eastern Mvomero district, 31-year-old Maria Naeku tirelessly tends to her small vegetable patch. Each time she pulls a weed, the red soil stains her hands as she guides the trickle of water from a maze of pipes through an elevated bed to nurture her plants.
Read more »
Tanzania to Tap Into Huge Potential in HorticultureTANZANIA intends to spearhead horticulture as the country's reliable vehicle for achieving future agricultural development goals.
Read more »
Tanzania Suspends Three News Sites Over Critique of PresidentThe online editions of three Tanzanian newspapers, The Citizen, Mwananchi, and Mwanaspoti, have been banned for running an animation critical of President Samia Suluhu Hassan and referencing a spate of recent abductions and killings of dissidents.
Read more »