Tanzania completes trials for SGR freight wagons
What you need to know:
- According to TRC, Latra conducted inspections on all 264 wagons, including 200 container carriers and 64 designed for loose cargo.
Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) has announced the completion of trials for 264 freight wagons, marking a significant step towards the commencement of freight transportation on the standard gauge railway (SGR).
The wagons, which arrived in Tanzania in December 2024, underwent a month-long testing phase under the supervision of the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (Latra), the TRC said in a statement on Monday March 10, 2025.
The tests covered both static and dynamic evaluations to assess the wagons’ durability and performance while in motion.
According to TRC, Latra conducted inspections on all 264 wagons, including 200 container carriers and 64 designed for loose cargo.
The authority confirmed that the wagons met the required design speed of 120 kilometres per hour and performed well in critical systems such as braking and handling curves, it stated.
“Latra has verified that the wagons are functioning effectively and has expressed satisfaction with their design. The next step will be granting certification in line with legal and regulatory requirements to allow freight operations to commence,” said TRC’s head of information and public relations, Mr Fredy Mwanjala, in the statement.
The 264 wagons are part of a larger batch of 1,430 being manufactured by the Chinese company CRRC.
“The completion of the trials signals that freight transportation on the SGR is set to begin soon,” TRC stated.
The SGR project is expected to enhance Tanzania’s logistics and transport sector which is currently dominated by lorries, by providing a faster, more reliable means of moving cargo across the country and beyond. Authorities hope this will improve trade efficiency and reduce transportation costs for businesses.
TRC has not yet announced the official launch date for SGR freight services but indicated that preparations are in the final stages.
Tanzania is building in phases some 2,561 kilometers of the SGR line which will connect the Indian Ocean port of Dar es Salaam to Mwanza on Lake Victoria and Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika.
The modern railway will eventually spur to Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. The three countries largely use the Tanzanian port to import and export goods.
The section between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma is completed and the services between the cities commenced operations since last June.
