What 2.1 tri/- SGR project means for TZ, Burundi
TANZANIA and Burundi have invited bids for the construction of a 367-kilometre electrified Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line linking the two countries.
The railway line to connect the western town of Uvinza in Kigoma Region with the Burundian political capital of Gitega, via Musongati town will be constructed under Design and Build (D&B) arrangement, according to a tender document advertised on this paper on Monday.
The SGR line will involve 282 kilometres for the main line and 85 kilometres of siding/passing loops and other railway facilities enroute to Standard Gauge, based on American Railway Engineering Maintenance of Way Association (AREMA) and UIC standards.
Lot 1 of the railway line will be 180 kilometres from Uvinza town to Malagarasi in Tanzania and Lot 2 will be 187 kilometres from Malagarasi to Musongati and Gitega in Burundi, the document shows.
Tanzania and Burundi signed an agreement for joint construction of the 282-kilometre standard gauge railway (SGR) in January this year.
The Minister for Finance and Planning, Mwigulu Nchemba said in a statement then that the cost of the construction of the railway line would not exceed 900 million US dollars (about 2.1tri/-).
The railway line is expected to aid in the transportation of over a million tonnes of cargo between the two East African countries.
Each year, the rail line will carry over three million tonnes of minerals from Burundi to Tanzania.
The project is expected to cut down transportation expenses, promote industrialisation, and boost the regional economy.
Tanzania is currently constructing a standard gauge rail line covering 1,637 kilometers, from the major port of Dar es Salaam to western and northern regions, and connecting to land linked countries of Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Construction of the railway line started since 2017 comprising four lots between Dar es Salaam and Morogoro (300km), Morogoro and Makutupora, Singida (422km), Makutopora to Tabora (368km) Tabora to Isaka and Mwanza- Isaka (341km).
The first four lots are constructed by a Turkish firm Yapi Merkezi and the Mwanza-Isaka stretch is constructed by China Civil Engineering Construction (CCEC) in partnership with China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC).
The construction between Dar es Salam and Morogoro is almost complete with test runs of SGR electric train conducted last month, where the train hit a speed of 160km/h, which is almost twice a speed of an ordinary bus.
The government signed a contract with Turkish firm Yapi Merkezi late last year for the third lot, a 368 km stretch of the railway line connecting the central town of Makutopora to the northwestern region of Tabora.
The project covers the construction of a 368 km long standard gauge railway of which, 294 km represents the mainline while 74 km will be constructed as crossroads connections.
In July the government signed a contract with the same Turkish firm for construction of a Tabora – Isaka stretch, the fourth phase of the development of standard gauge railway network comprising 1,219 km from Dar es Salaam, crossing Morogoro, Makutupora, Tabora and Isaka, towards the city port of Mwanza, on the shore of Lake Victoria.
Last year the government awarded a contract for the construction of the 341km Mwanza - Isaka standard-gauge railway (SGR) to a partnership of China Civil Engineering Construction (CCEC) and China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC).
The SGR rail line, one of government flagship projects is expected to help Tanzania make optimal use of its strategic geographical location to become a regional trade and transport hub.
The government targets length of Standard Gauge Railway to reach 1,219 kilometres by 2025/29 financial from 395.2 kilometres in 2019/2020, according to the national Five Year Development Plan (FYDP III) 2021/22 - 2025/26.
It has also earmarked volume of freight (cargo) transported by railway lines to reach 2,162,258 tonnes per year in 2025/26 year up from 1,569,536 tonnes in 2019/2020.
The number of passengers transported by railway lines has been planned to reach 2,272,682 per year in 2025/26 up from 972,000 in 2019/2020.