Tazara announces resumption of cross-border passenger train in February

In a statement issued today January 6, 2025, Tazara said the resumption would also reaffirm the authority’s founding mandate of promoting regional mobility, trade, tourism and people-to-people interaction.

Under the reorganisation, passenger services between Dar es Salaam and New Kapiri Mposhi will be rationalised, with weekly trips reduced from four to two. The adjustment, Tazara said, will allow for the consolidation of passenger coaches and locomotives to strengthen core services—particularly the Mukuba and Udzungwa trains—which will focus on cross-border and local shuttle operations, respectively.

Tazara Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Bruno Ching’andu, said the resumption was intended to restore public confidence in cross-border rail travel through a more focused, reliable and sustainable passenger service.

“The service will be further enhanced through the planned acquisition of new passenger coaches and locomotives dedicated to passenger operations. With the acquisition of new coaches, the number of train journeys between Tanzania and Zambia will be increased to achieve an optimal level of customer experience,” he said.

According to Tazara, the reorganisation prioritises the Mukuba service, which caters for both local and international passengers travelling between Dar es Salaam and New Kapiri Mposhi, and the Udzungwa service, which serves local passengers between Kilombero and Makambako in Tanzania.

The authority said the approach would improve reliability, optimise the use of limited rolling stock and ensure more consistent passenger service delivery across the network.

“The adjustment in service frequency reflects the realities of operating an ageing fleet undergoing phased rehabilitation. Our priority is to deploy available coaches and locomotives where they deliver the greatest public benefit, while maintaining safety, affordability and operational reliability,” Mr Ching’andu added.

Under the new arrangement, the unified cross-border passenger service will operate as a combination of express and ordinary services to meet varying passenger demand along the corridor.

The Mukuba service will depart New Kapiri Mposhi for Dar es Salaam every Tuesday at 2pm Central African Time (CAT), while departures from Dar es Salaam to New Kapiri Mposhi will be every Friday at 3.50pm East African Time (EAT).

In both directions, the service will operate as an ordinary train on the Kasama–Nakonde and Msolwa–Dar es Salaam sections, and as an express service between New Kapiri Mposhi and Kasama, as well as between Nakonde and Msolwa. Tazara said the arrangement responds to high passenger demand, especially in sections with limited or no parallel road infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Udzungwa service will continue to operate two ordinary trips per week between Kidatu and Makambako, ensuring continued access for communities in Morogoro and Njombe regions.

Looking ahead, Mr Ching’andu reaffirmed Tazara’s commitment to restoring safe, reliable and affordable passenger rail services as part of its broader transformation and revitalisation agenda.

“Tazara was established to connect people, markets and economies. The restored cross-border passenger service supports regional trade, tourism and people-to-people movement, while reaffirming our founding mandate as we mark 50 years of operations,” he said.