Tanzania Railways Corporation
Encyclopedia
The Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) is a state-owned enterprise that runs one of Tanzania
's two main railway networks.
When the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation
was dissolved in 1977 and its assets divided between Kenya
, Tanzania and Uganda
, TRC was formed to take over EARH's railway, harbour and inland shipping operations in Tanzania. In 1997 the inland shipping division became a separate company.
is and the total length is about 2600 kilometres (1,615.6 mi). Two east-west lines linking the coast and the hinterland were built when the country was under colonial rule as German East Africa
. The Central Line
runs from Dar es Salaam
to Kigoma
, and the Tanga Line from Tanga
to Arusha
. A north-south connection, from Korogwe
to Morogoro
, links the two lines. The mainline has other branches, one to Lake Victoria
where a connection operates via Lake Victoria
train ferries
with the Uganda Railway
. From the Tanga line there was an EARH line to Kenya but this is now disused.
There is a break-of-gauge
at Dar es Salaam to the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority
(TAZARA) that at links to Zambia
.
A second link between these two lines is provided at Kidatu
, where the TAZARA line meets the Kidatu branch.
and cargo ship
services on Lake Tanganyika
and Lake Malawi
and some EARH's ships on Lake Victoria
.
TRC introduced the ferry on Lake Victoria in about 1979, the ferry on Lake Tanganyika in 1982 and the passenger and cargo ship
on Lake Victoria in 1988.
On 21 May 1996 Bukoba sank in 25 metres (14 fathom) of water about 30 nautical miles (56 km) off Mwanza
. She had many more passengers aboard than she was certified to carry and at least 800 people were killed. After the disaster criminal charges were brought against nine TRC officials including Bukobas master
and the manager of the Marine Division.
In 1997 the Marine Division became a separate company, Marine Services Company Limited
.
killed 281 people, the third highest number of deaths in a train disaster in Africa.
of India
won a contract from the Parastatal Sector Reform Commission (PSRC) to operate passenger and freight services on a concession basis for 25 years. The concession agreement was signed on September 3, 2007, and was to begin on October 1, 2007. The railway will be run as Tanzania Railway Ltd, with the government owning a 49% stake..
There were moves to abandon the contract "due in part, to the fact that the Indian investor failed to pay over USD 6 million in concession fees to the Tanzania government in 2008" but RITES officials countered noting that the contract "misled Rites officials by indicating that the Railway Assets Holding Company (Rahco) was in possession of 92 working locomotives when, in actuality, only 55 existed". In 2010, the government terminated the contract and resumed control.
In 2007 Tanzania's Deputy Minister for Infrastructure Maua Abeid Daftari
proposed gauge conversion
to standard gauge
.
In 2008 tenders were sought for steel sleepers of gauge convertible to gauge
and for concrete sleeper plant for dual and gauges.
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
's two main railway networks.
When the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation
East African Railways and Harbours Corporation
The East African Railways and Harbours Corporation was formed in 1948 for the new East African High Commission by merging the Kenya and Uganda Railways and Harbours with the Tanganyika Railway of the Tanganyika Territory...
was dissolved in 1977 and its assets divided between Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Tanzania and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, TRC was formed to take over EARH's railway, harbour and inland shipping operations in Tanzania. In 1997 the inland shipping division became a separate company.
Rail network
TRC's gaugeRail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
is and the total length is about 2600 kilometres (1,615.6 mi). Two east-west lines linking the coast and the hinterland were built when the country was under colonial rule as German East Africa
German East Africa
German East Africa was a German colony in East Africa, which included what are now :Burundi, :Rwanda and Tanganyika . Its area was , nearly three times the size of Germany today....
. The Central Line
Central Line (Tanzania)
The Central Line is the most important railway line in Tanzania apart from TAZARA. It runs west from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika via Dodoma...
runs from Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
to Kigoma
Kigoma
Kigoma is a town and lake port in western Tanzania, on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika and close to the border with Burundi. It serves as the capital for the surrounding Kigoma Region and has a population of 135,234 and an elevation of 775 m.The historic trading town of Ujiji is 6 km...
, and the Tanga Line from Tanga
Tanga, Tanzania
Tanga is both the name of the most northerly seaport city of Tanzania, and the surrounding Tanga Region. It is the Regional Headquarters of the region.With a population of 243,580 in 2002, Tanga is one of the largest cities in the country...
to Arusha
Arusha
Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania. It is the capital of the Arusha Region, which claims a population of 1,288,088, including 281,608 for the Arusha District . Arusha is surrounded by some of Africa's most famous landscapes and national parks...
. A north-south connection, from Korogwe
Korogwe
Korogwe is a town in Tanzania, with a population of 44,000 in 2002. It is the main centre of Korogwe District, which is within the Tanga Region.- Overview :The town is the seat of the Anglican Diocese of Tanga, has a cathedral church, dedicated to St...
to Morogoro
Morogoro
Morogoro is a city with an urban population of 206,868 in the southern highlands of Tanzania, 190 km west of Dar es Salaam. It is the capital of the Morogoro Region...
, links the two lines. The mainline has other branches, one to Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
where a connection operates via Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria ferries
Lake Victoria ferries are motor ships carrying freight and passengers between Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya on Lake Victoria...
train ferries
Train ferry
A train ferry is a ship designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries are sometimes referred to as "car ferries", as...
with the Uganda Railway
Uganda Railway
The Uganda Railway is a railway system and former railway company linking the interiors of Uganda and Kenya with the Indian Ocean at Mombasa in Kenya.-Origins:...
. From the Tanga line there was an EARH line to Kenya but this is now disused.
There is a break-of-gauge
Break-of-gauge
With railways, a break-of-gauge occurs where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and freight and passengers must otherwise be transloaded...
at Dar es Salaam to the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority
Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority
The TAZARA Railway was built between 1970 and 1975 by the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority to give landlocked Zambia a link to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam, as an alternative to export routes via rail lines to Rhodesia , South Africa,...
(TAZARA) that at links to Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
.
A second link between these two lines is provided at Kidatu
Kidatu
Kidatu is a town in southern Tanzania located in Kilombero district, Morogoro Region. The local population is about 3300. Primary economic activity is the large Illovo sugar plantation.Kidatu is a town in central Tanzania...
, where the TAZARA line meets the Kidatu branch.
Former Marine Division
TRC inherited EARH's ferryFerry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
and cargo ship
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
services on Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika is an African Great Lake. It is estimated to be the second largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, and the second deepest, after Lake Baikal in Siberia; it is also the world's longest freshwater lake...
and Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi , is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the Great Rift Valley system of East Africa. This lake, the third largest in Africa and the eighth largest lake in the world, is located between Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania...
and some EARH's ships on Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
.
TRC introduced the ferry on Lake Victoria in about 1979, the ferry on Lake Tanganyika in 1982 and the passenger and cargo ship
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
on Lake Victoria in 1988.
On 21 May 1996 Bukoba sank in 25 metres (14 fathom) of water about 30 nautical miles (56 km) off Mwanza
Mwanza
Mwanza is a mid-sized port city on the southern shores of Lake Victoria in northwestern Tanzania. With an urban population of 1.2 million and a metropolitan population of 2 million, it is Tanzania's second largest city, following Dar es Salaam and ahead of other major Tanzanian cities of Arusha,...
. She had many more passengers aboard than she was certified to carry and at least 800 people were killed. After the disaster criminal charges were brought against nine TRC officials including Bukobas master
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
and the manager of the Marine Division.
In 1997 the Marine Division became a separate company, Marine Services Company Limited
Marine Services Company Limited
Marine Services Company Limited is a Tanzanian company that operates ferries, cargo ships and tankers on Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi. MSC was the Marine Division of the Tanzania Railways Corporation until 1997. The company's head office is at the former TRC building in Mwanza on...
.
Rail accidents
On 24 June, 2002 the Igandu train disasterIgandu train disaster
The Igandu train disaster was an accident which occurred during the early morning of the 24 June 2002 in the East African country of Tanzania when a large passenger train with over 1,200 people on board rolled backwards down a hill into a stationary goods train, killing 281 people in the worst rail...
killed 281 people, the third highest number of deaths in a train disaster in Africa.
Privatisation, re-nationalization and recent plans
In 2007 RITES Ltd.RITES Ltd.
RITES Limited is an engineering consultancy company, specializing in the field of transport infrastructure. Established in 1974 by the Government of India, the company's initial charter was to provide consultancy services in rail transport management to operators in India and abroad...
of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
won a contract from the Parastatal Sector Reform Commission (PSRC) to operate passenger and freight services on a concession basis for 25 years. The concession agreement was signed on September 3, 2007, and was to begin on October 1, 2007. The railway will be run as Tanzania Railway Ltd, with the government owning a 49% stake..
There were moves to abandon the contract "due in part, to the fact that the Indian investor failed to pay over USD 6 million in concession fees to the Tanzania government in 2008" but RITES officials countered noting that the contract "misled Rites officials by indicating that the Railway Assets Holding Company (Rahco) was in possession of 92 working locomotives when, in actuality, only 55 existed". In 2010, the government terminated the contract and resumed control.
In 2007 Tanzania's Deputy Minister for Infrastructure Maua Abeid Daftari
Maua Abeid Daftari
Maua Abeid Daftari is a Member of Parliament in the National Assembly of Tanzania.- Appointments :* Deputy Minister for Infrastructure Development in 2007. As Deputy Minister she made a proposal to convert the gauge of Tanzania Railways Central line from narrow gauge to standard gauge.- Source :* ...
proposed gauge conversion
Gauge conversion
In rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks...
to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
.
In 2008 tenders were sought for steel sleepers of gauge convertible to gauge
and for concrete sleeper plant for dual and gauges.
See also
- East African Railway Master PlanEast African Railway Master PlanThe East African Railway Master Plan is a proposal for rejuvenating existing railways serving Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and extending them initially to Rwanda and Burundi and eventually to South Sudan, Ethiopia and beyond...
- Central Line (Tanzania)Central Line (Tanzania)The Central Line is the most important railway line in Tanzania apart from TAZARA. It runs west from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika via Dodoma...
- Rail transport in TanzaniaRail transport in TanzaniaRail transport in Tanzania is conducted by two companies:* Tanzania Railways Corporation* TAZARA- Railway links with adjacent countries : Burundi - no - proposed DR Congo - decades ago there was a train ferry between Kigoma and Kalemie, in 2007 there are no ferry links and the DR Congo line to...
- TAZARA
- Transport in TanzaniaTransport in TanzaniaTransport in Tanzania is mainly by road, supplemented by rail. Tanzania's road network, is of limited quality and not many roads are tarmacked. Dirt roads become impassable during the rainy season and can remain impassable for days, or, more often, weeks. The only reliable surface connection from...