Monkeys, owls blamed for disruption of Tanzania's electric train service
What you need to know:
- Monkeys and owls are being blamed for causing an electrical fault that led to a two-hour halt of Tanzania's modern electric-powered Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) train.
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s electric train service encountered its first issue on Tuesday when a train traveling from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma was forced to stop for two hours due to a power failure.
This incident occurred just one day before President Samia Suluhu Hassan's official launch of the electric-powered train services, scheduled for August 1.
The Dar es Salaam-Dodoma electric train services had commenced on July 25, 2024.
Jamila Mbarouk, head of communications and public relations at Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC), stated on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, that the power outage happened between Kilosa and Kidete stations. This caused the standard gauge railway (SGR) train traveling through this section to halt.
"Preliminary reports suggest that the outage was caused by animals, such as monkeys, or birds like owls coming into contact with the overhead catenary system wires. The outage resulted in a power cut at cooling station number 7 (Godegode), technically referred to as an Instantaneous Overcurrent Protection Trip, around 22:20," she explained.
According to Mbarouk, TRC technicians resolved the issue and restored power by 24:30 (midnight), allowing the train to resume its journey to Dodoma, where it arrived at 01:57.
“The TRC apologizes for the inconvenience caused,” the statement reads.
Earlier reports indicate that the Dar es Salaam-Morogoro route has the capacity to transport over 4,000 passengers daily, while the Dar es Salaam-Dodoma route can carry between 3,600 and 4,000 passengers. Therefore, the combined capacity of both routes is between 7,600 and 8,000 passengers.
Attempts to contact TRC for further comments were unsuccessful, as their phone lines were not answered.
