Latra says will announce new electric train fares next month

Dar es Salaam. The fares for the electric train between Dar es Salaam and Morogoro will be disclosed next month, The Citizen has learned.

The announcement will be a significant development in Tanzania's transportation sector as the much-hyped and long-awaited Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) trains start operations.

Read: SGR proposed fares rejected

The director general for the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (Latra) told The Citizen recently that the authority will announce the proposed fares through its board of directors.

“The fares to be announced will have the full blessings of all stakeholders, including Latra CCC and TRC,” he said.

“We anticipate that passenger transportation will commence by May 2024. It is important to note that for any business endeavour, the models must be well-structured to benefit the customers,” he said on the sidelines of capacity building for journalists in Kibaha last week.

A fortnight ago, TRC started conducting trials for the electric trains between Dar es Salaam and Morogoro as part of the implementation of an order by President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Recently, President Hassan was quoted saying, "I have been hearing about changes in the start dates for train services via the SGR railway from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma, and indeed, citizens are tired of excuses; they want to see the railway in operation. Therefore, I direct that by the end of July 2024, SGR railway services between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma must have commenced."

And according to Mr Suluo, they will strive to meet President Hassan's deadline for the commencement of operations.

He explained that Latra is currently continuing with the inspection of the ongoing infrastructure construction to ensure its safety.

Additionally, the authority will inspect the electric locomotives, carriages, and SGR infrastructure before they begin operations.

Explaining why Latra took so long to announce SGR fares, Mr Suluo said that the delay was due to incomplete inputs and requirements for the system.

He emphasised that the SGR is a sophisticated system, and all requisite procedures, including operational protocols, must be thoroughly addressed before its implementation.

As anticipation builds for the official fare announcement, stakeholders and travellers alike eagerly await further details from Latra regarding this important transportation infrastructure project.

In December 2022, TRC’s proposed fares for SGR trains were rejected.

TRC had proposed fares of Sh24,794 between Dar es Salaam and Morogoro, while tickets for the Dar es Salaam-Dodoma route would cost Sh59,494 for adults.

Fares for children aged four to 12 were Sh14,876 between Dar es Salaam and Morogoro and Sh35,696 for the Dar es Salaam-Dodoma route.

However, the Latra CCC demanded that the Dar es Salaam-Morogoro adult fare be slashed to Sh8,000 and travellers between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma be charged not more than Sh19,000.

It proposed children’s fares of Sh4,000 and Sh9,000 on the two routes.

Latra CCC acting executive secretary Leo Ngowi said TRC should set reasonable fares so that the SGR does not turn into a “white elephant.”