Tanzania to use $946m to improve its regional rail links

A consulting company is already working on the project’s feasibility study and master plan, in line with the East Africa Railway Master Plan.

Minister for Infrastructure Development Dr Shukuru Kawambwa said the master plan is to be submitted to the government by the end of August.

The plan has two phases: The first , started in the 2007/08 financial year, will run till to 2011/12.

The second phase will start in the 2012/13 financial year and end in 2016/17.

The plan also involves a feasibility study for a railway link Mtwara to Lindi, Mchuchuma and Liganga,” said Dr Kwambwa. Another feasibility study will be done for a railway line that will link Isaka to Kigali, in Rwanda and Bujumbura in Burundi.

Tanzania is home to two strategically positioned rail networks - the Tanzania Railways Ltd (TRL) and the Tanzania-Zambia Railways Authority (Tazara) - which can be extended to link the port of Dar es Salaam with the Central and Southern African countries of Zambia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi and DR Congo.

The International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, last September signed an agreement that will help connect regional markets in East Africa by financing railways linking Tanzania with six neighbouring countries.

This will reduce costs and delivery times for exports, improve the flow of goods to the interior, and make travelling more reliable for around 600,000 passengers a year.

IFC’s proposed $44 million loan will strengthen this network and enhance trade flows to the neighbouring landlocked countries of Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda, as well as the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“Rehabilitating and extending the rail network will significantly improve business prospects for Tanzania and East Africa,” said Rashad Kaldany, IFC director for infrastructure.

“As the only lender to this project, IFC plays a critical role in addressing the lack of reliable and affordable infrastructure, one of the biggest development challenges in Africa today.”

By Wilfred Edwin