Tanzania clears air on imported SGR locomotive
What you need to know:
- It said its SGR engines were still being manufactured, and what has been brought was an on test locomotive ordered by the contractors.
Dar es Salaam. The government has cleared the air on the standard gauge railway locomotives it has ordered, saying that they were yet to arrive in the country.
It said its SGR engines were still being manufactured, and what has been brought was an on test locomotive ordered by the contractors.
Government chief spokesman Gerson Msigwa made the statement after a debate emerged on social media on an SGR locomotive.
Mr Msigwa tweeted: “DO NOT MISLEAD PEOPLE. The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) locomotives ordered by the government are yet to arrive in the country, they are still at a plant being built. The locomotive that has arrived in the country is for testing by the SGR contractors”.
On February 21, this year, Mr Msigwa tweeted: “An electric locomotive arrives in the country. It is for use on Standard Gauge Railway (SGR)”.
However, after Msigwa’s post, debate ensued on social media by different people, telling Mr Msigwa that the locomotive brought into the country was a used one.
Westernife wrote: “We don’t know anything, but the government should tell us as to why it is linked to the procurement of rusted electric train engines otherwise you have to sue Wikipedia for having said that TRC has bought those worthless SGR locomotives, we need actions but not mere words, you need to file a case against Wikipedia that you have bought the rusted electric locomotives, how come you victimise Yapi.”
Sylvia Shikonyi Hansson wrote: “How come the contractor brings scrape metal into the country and then you dare to organize a press conference and show us that scrape metal. How do you really view us? Does it mean that we have not made foreign trips with no idea about modern stuff. Shame on you for bringing us that worthless electric locomotive.”
