Tanzanians count down the days before SGR services commence

Dar es Salaam. After multiple delays, services on the Dar es Salaam-Morogoro section of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) are currently expected to begin at the end of January 2024.

This was stated recently by Transport minister Prof Makame Mbarawa on his visit to see the SGR test runs.

The experiments were carried out to see whether the electric train could efficiently run at a speed of 160 km/h.

After the tests, Prof Mbarawa said he was satisfied with the efficiency of the engines for the electric SGR engines.

The tested engine was one of 17 similar engines purchased by the government from South Korea for a total of Sh254 billion.

He stated that the government will perform a second test in which the engine will be attached to the locomotives, allowing SGR to operate from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro.

The SGR will connect Tanzania from the Indian Ocean port of Dar es Salaam to the Lake Victoria port of Mwanza, and then to the neighbouring countries of Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The country is constructing a total length of 2,102 km of SGR, linking it to neighbouring Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, thus making the East African country a regional business and transportation hub.

For a while, several promises of its commencement had been made, but they were not implemented.

On November 19, 2020, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa visited the SGR Morogoro project and expressed satisfaction with the construction development of the section.

By then, the construction had reached 90 percent, and he promised Wananachi that the maiden trip would commence in April 2021.

On March 15, 2021, the former minister for Construction and Transport, Mr Leonard Chamuriho, also announced in Morogoro that the SGR train would start operating in August of the aforementioned year.

In April 2022, TRC director general Masanja Kadogosa said Dar es Salaam-Morogoro Phase I of SGR will start operations at the end of May 2022.

Speaking during a meeting of seven members of the Central Transport Union (CCTTFA), Prof Mbarawa said that the services would officially commence at the end of January.

“The interesting thing is that, at the end of January 2024, we will officially start using SGR transport from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro for passengers, not cargo,” he said.

Land Transport Regulatory Authority (Latra) Fahamuel Mnkeni told The Citizen on December 14, 2023, that they are currently working on various issues before coming up with realistic fares.

“By the end of January 2024, we will be able to announce the SGR fares; we are only waiting for a few clarifications from Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) and Tanzania Electronic Supply Company Limited (Tanesco) on how the two will be paying each other on the issues of electricity,” he said.

Mr Mnkeni explained that the issue of SGR has a process because train engines use electricity to operate; therefore, it is a must for Latra to know the operation cost of a train engine to enable them to set fares, provide better services and look at the competition.

“All these are some of the technical issues that TRC is working on; in a nutshell, we are working on the final touches.

The government will ensure wananchi are offered better services at an affordable cost,” he said. In December 2022, TRC proposed a fare of Sh24,794 for children and Sh59,494 for adults to travel between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma on SGR trains.

The rates were vehemently opposed by consumers during a meeting that was convened by Latra in December last year. By then, Latra Consumer Consultative Council (CCC) acting executive secretary Leo Ngowi said TRC should come up with reasonable fares so that SGR does not turn into a “white elephant.”

The TRC director general told The Citizen in October 2023 that though setting the fares was a task for Latra, a lot of things have been conducted on the infrastructure and equipment acquisition.

“It is Latra that is setting fares, but on our side, several issues have been finalised.

For instance, when you visit a Tanzanite station, there is a control centre. Some equipment has been installed to enable communication, give signals and monitor the train while it is moving,” he said.

A resident of Boko, Mr Zuberi Shamte, told The Citizen that it is good news to hear that SGR from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro will start next year, but the most important thing is for wananchi to know the fares before the train starts operating so that ordinary people will be in a position to use SGR as a means of transport or not.

 “The government must also assure us of the reliability of SGR, as currently the country is facing load shedding, and we also want to know how it is prepared to ensure there are no delays in case there is a power cut,” he said.

Mr Shamte, who is also a businessman, said it is important that the government expand the road network to boost the economy of the country; however, the issue of energy service affordability and reliability must be highlighted to avoid complaints from customers.

Tanzania Bus Owners Association (Taboa) secretary general Joseph Priscus said on December 19, 2023, that for them, it will be an opportunity to increase their business efficiency because railway network transport (SGR) is always expensive compared to bus transport.

 “We have seen that in some of the countries with SGR, commuters still opt to use buses because they cannot afford to pay fares for the train, though it is faster,” he said. Mr Priscus also applauded the government for announcing the commencement of SGR.

“The government has reached a good stage and decided to avoid suspicion from people about when the train will exactly start operating.”

A Truck Owners Association (Tatoa) member who did not want the name to be disclosed said that the commencement of SGR will facilitate the transportation of cargo and help customers with their cargo, goods and products within a short period.

“Since we are sharing some cake, we are going to collaborate with the government to ensure that cargo that is offloaded at the Dar es Salaam port is transported by both railways and lorries.”

A source further noted: “The government has invested in and improved Dar es Salaam to attract high cargo. We are optimistic that the commencement of the railway will boost cargo transport and the economy of the country.