By
Staff Writers, DAR and KAMPALA
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| President Magufuli launching the SGR last year |
Railway trasport
is the second most important mode of transport after road and critical for long
distance freight along the main trasport corridors in the East Africa’s fastest
gworing economy, Tanzania.
By considering
so, the reformist President of Tanzania, Dr. John Pombe Magufuli, is doing heavy
investement on the construction of
Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and improvement of another Central Rail
line sketching for about 2,600 kilometres.
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| Mr. Kadogosa |
Adressing the
media in Dar es salaam on Wednesday, the Director General of Tanzania Railway
Corporation (TRC), Mr. Masanja Kadogosa, told reporters that the 3 billion USD standard gauge railway
construction from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma which is at 34 percent delivery, is largely
financed by the government’s own coffers, thanks to Magufuli’s vision and
inspiration.
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| Part of the SGR will be a 2.5 km overpass to avoid city traffic |
“The current SGR
project is split into two phases, Dar es salaam to Morogoro 300 kilometres and
Morogoro to Dodoma 422 kilometres, of which the Tanzanian goverment opted to
fund the project for shillings trillion
7.1 accumulated from domestic sources,” said Mr. Kadogosa. There are
prospects that the second ond subsequent phases would receive a loan boost from
development partners but it is yet to be confirmed.
Giving updates regarding
the project, Mr. Kadogosa said, so far the standard gauge construction, Africa’s
biggest rail project so far in rail terms, has covered 10 kilometres of laying
down the new rail.
The Tanzanian rail
will accomodated fastest trains, and contrary to the Chinese funded Kenyan similar line, it will host electricity train.
Kenya’s SGR is run by diesel locomotives.
Construction
means more jobs to locals. The Yapi Markezi constructors from Turky as leading
experts have employed about 6,440 staff, out of which 6,182 are Tanzanians, equivalent
to 96 per cent. This meams more
empowerment to Tanzanians.
According to Mr.
Kadogosa, the three years of President
Magufuli in the Office has brought in tremoudeous transformation in revamping
the Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) with more locomotives and wagons in the
offing as the company also bossts its revenue base from dhilings 25 bilion to 36
bilion a year.
“Thanks to
President Magufuli’s vision and investment of public funds to facilitate the
huge project. In return, my team is working hard to make sure we meet the 2019
target for the Dar-Moro section and ultimately complete the Dodoma line by
2021,” emphasized Mr. Kadogosa.
Many locals here think Uganda and East Africa have lots to learn from Magufuli's magic and performance in Tanzania.
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