Let’s be sure to enjoy our brand new SGR while it lasts

But the SGR is cool: it’s shiny, it’s sleek, it’s fast. Three hours from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma – that’s five hours saved compared to travelling by road. SGR trains are super convenient – the train glides so smoothly over the tracks you might forget you’re even moving.

Despite my criticism of the project, I eagerly awaited the day the SGR would finally start operating. Some might see a contradiction, but there’s no contradiction at all. Those of us who criticised it never opposed upgrading Tanzania’s railways. We just opposed the sheer recklessness of spending billions of dollars on something we could’ve achieved at a fraction of the cost. Still, if the choice is between nerve-wracking bus journeys and the safety and comfort of a train, the train wins every single time.

I’ve always been a fan of trains. I remember with fondness the old days of train trips between Dar and Moshi. We didn’t stop using trains because we hated them. We stopped because the services became unusable. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to board Tanzania’s SGR yet. But when my family recently travelled to Dodoma, I purposed to experience it through them, especially through the eyes of my starry-eyed 12- and 13-year-old daughters.

These girls don’t miss a thing and their first train trip was no exception. I was flooded with video clips of elevators, tunnels, sleeping couches, waiting areas and onboard food. They were ecstatic, as I’d expected. That’s what modern infrastructure is meant to do—impress and inspire. But what caught my attention were the strange stories they shared even before their journey began.

It started the night before. Since they had a 6am train to catch and would leave home by 4am, I suggested they pack some snacks for the trip.

To my surprise, I was told they couldn’t bring food onboard. Apparently, Tanzania Railways Corporation enforces this by enquiring about the contents of passengers’ bags and measuring their weight. And that’s why passengers are required to report hours before departure. Yes, booking tickets online is a breeze, but once you arrive at the station, you must print your ticket, present identification (there was a scare since one of my daughters wasn’t carrying an ID) and go through security checks like you’re boarding an international flight.

That brings me to the real question: why all this nonsense? Why the pseudo-airport routines for a train ride? Why insist on IDs for domestic travel—do buses require them? Why inspect luggage and measure weight—what contraband could possibly be smuggled on a train that couldn’t just as easily be smuggled by bus? And banning snacks? Is it to force passengers to buy their overpriced onboard food? Even airlines allow you to bring your own snacks as long as you’re not carrying suspicious liquids. And why, oh why, in the age of smartphones and e-tickets, are we still printing tickets? Even buses have moved past that.

Make no mistake, the SGR is great. It’s modern, efficient and convenient. Sure, Kenya’s Royal Class makes ours look like second-class seating on a daladala, but let’s appreciate the fact that Tanzania finally has a functional rail system. I am avoiding the word reliable – it is too early to say.

The problem is that we have a knack for taking good ideas and turning them into nightmares. We did it with the bus rapid transit (BRT), reducing it to a glorified daladala service. We introduced electronic tax collection but overburden businesses with inefficiencies that end up killing them anyway. We built state-of-the-art medical facilities but do all that we can to ensure that patients still seek treatment abroad.

That’s why some of us have no mirage about the future of SGR: it will follow this same path. Right now, it’s enjoying its honeymoon phase—new routes will open, passenger numbers will climb, revenues will increase and TRL will triumphantly announce them to the public. But beneath the applause is the uncomfortable truth – the SGR will not make enough money to be sustainable.

As a result, as the infrastructure ages, maintenance costs will skyrocket, corners will be cut and the once-speedy trains will slow to a crawl. Today’s 160kph marvels will eventually become tomorrow’s 50kph relics. We’ve seen this story before. Remember Tazara? It began with fanfare and optimism, only to falter as time wore on.

This is nothing new. It is just what we do. We turn visions into disappointments.

So, my fellow Tanzanians, let’s enjoy the SGR while it lasts. Revel in the gliding trains and the three-hour journeys. Reality is cruel: diesel engines will replace electric engines and this shiny new toy is going to get rusty. Very rusty.

Charles Makakala is a Technology and Management Consultant based in Dar es Salaam. [email protected]