15 NOVEMBER 2018
Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)
Tanzania: SGR Promises 40 Per Cent Saving in Cargo Haulage
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By Deogratius Kamagi
CARGO transportation costs are expected to drop by 40 per cent once the new train on the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) starts operations.
Already 110 graduates in various professions have started practical trainings on how to run the modern train. Speaking to reporters in Dar es Salaam yesterday on the three-year performance of Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC) since President John Magufuli assumed office, TRC Director General, Masanja Kadogosa, said the identified graduates will later be taken abroad for further training.
The aim is to have sufficient number of locals who will take part in maintaining the project and running various systems, including European Train Control System level 2 and the central Train Control in future.
According to Mr Kadogosa, part of the training will start on November 26, this year, with trainers from Turkey where the SGR project contractor- Y api Merkezi- comes from.
The project that is being constructed from Dar es Salaam to Mwanza, covering 1,219 kilometres, is on its initial stages of construction, starting with the 300 kilometres from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro and 422 kilometres from Morogoro to Dodoma.
Upon completion, the country will have the fast and modern passenger train with a speed of 160 kilometres per hour while the freight train will have the maximum speed of 120 kilometres per hour.
"So far, the first phase of the project from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro is accomplished by 32 per cent and projection is to have the 722 kilometres from Dar es Salaam to Makutupora in Dodoma region completed by February 2021 at the cost of 7.1tri/-, which is issued by the government of Tanzania from own source," he said.
On job creation, TRC boss said there are 6,500 employees, with 96 per cent of them Tanzanians. TRC is also renovating the 970 kilometres of the Central Line Railway to improve its capacity of carrying heavy cargos.
"The renovation will see the new 335-kilometre railway constructed and 555 kilometres upgraded," said Mr Kadogosa.
The TRC Director General was recently quoted as saying the project is also set to have 17 overpasses and 15 underpasses to avoid risks of getting accidents and saving time as the train will be electrically powered.
He said there will be two flyovers in Dar es Salaam, 26 major bridges and 243 small bridges along the railway line from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro.
One flyover will be from the Dar es Salaam Station to Ilala area past Kariakoo and the other will be constructed at Buguruni, the two busiest junctions in the city.
Tanzania: SGR Promises 40 Per Cent Saving in Cargo Haulage