SGR unlocks potentials for business, tourism and economic growth

The 29-year dream of transitioning to modern transit systems has finally come true after President Samia Suluhu Has­san launched the Standard Gauge Rail­way (SGR) train services from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma.

The SGR, an idea that was pre-con­ceived during the late Benjamin Mkapa after rounds of discussions with his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, about building a modern railway from Dar es Salaam to Kigali in Rwanda, has borne fruit.

Connecting Tanzania with neighbour­ing countries such as Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the multi-shilling SGR project is designed to specifically reduce transportation costs, decrease travel time, facilitate easier access to various social services for communities in the project area, and promote trade between Tanzania and neighboring countries.

This railway, with a total width of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1/2 in), aims at simplifying the transportation of goods within and out­side Tanzania, particularly in the cities of land-locked countries such as Kigali in Rwanda, Bujumbura in Burundi and Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The SGR railway is expected to be used by passenger trains traveling at a speed of 160 kilometers (99 miles) per hour and freight trains traveling at 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour.

The project began in April 2017, with the first phase starting from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro, covering a distance of 300 kilometers (186 miles).

The railway begins at the Indian Ocean port in Dar es Salaam and extends to the shores of Mwanza on Lake Victoria to connect with neighbouring countries.

The construction of a railway section from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro, span­ning 300 kilometers, officially began in April 2017 under the leadership of the fifth-phase President, the late John Magufuli. On June 14, 2024 the first SGR train journey from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro commenced with 14 carriages and approximately 700 passengers.

The journey from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma began on July 25, this year, with 14 carriages having a total of 1,000 pas­sengers.

On August 1, 2024, President Samia officially launched the SGR train services from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma, with the expectations of significant benefits in promoting business and the economy.

Speaking at the launch, President Samia said that this train would enhance the efficiency of the Dar es Salaam port due to its capacity to carry large loads at once, reaching a freight volume of 17 million tonnes per year, thus facilitating business operations and reducing cargo congestion.

“We expect this railway to increase the efficiency of our ports, particularly the Dar es Salaam port, by quickly clearing cargo owing to this railway handling 17 million tons of cargo per year,” said Pres­ident Samia.

“This railway also presents opportu­nities for private sector stakeholders, for example, passenger transporters can partner with the Tanzania Railways Cor­poration (TRC) and have a single ticket that a person can use to travel by train and then switch to a bus to a certain place with the same ticket,” added President Samia.

Moreover, President Samia expressed pride that despite the challenges in implementing this project, it has reached the stage of being launched to serve citi­zens from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma.

Additionally, President Samia named the railway stations: Dar es Salaam will be called John Magufuli, Morogoro will be called Jakaya Kikwete, Dodoma will be called Samia, Tabora will be called Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Shinyanga will be known as Abeid Amani Karume, Mwan­za will be called Julius Nyerere, and Kigoma will be called Benjamin Mkapa.

The Director General of TRC Masanja Kadogosa, said that by July 28, 2024, the modern train had transported approxi­mately 28,600 passengers and collected Sh 744 million since the journeys began.

Kadogosa said the train is also used by travelers from distant regions such as Mwanza to reduce travel time compared to using regular buses.

“When they arrive in Dodoma, they board buses to Mwanza, Iringa, Arusha, Kagera, and other regions. Thus, a person departing at 6:00 AM reaches Dodoma and boards a bus at 10:00 AM, arriving in Mwanza at 5:00 PM or 6:00 PM instead of the previous arrival time of 2:00 AM,” he said.

The SGR project has so far provid­ed employment to 3,526 Tanzanians compared to 255 jobs for foreigners. It has also created other business oppor­tunities, such as those for food vendors (Mama Ntilie), small traders, and indus­trial products, among others.