Tanzania Railway Corporation
Two diesel locomotives pull a passenger train into Dar es Salaam's main railway station.
Operation
National railway	Tanzania
Statistics
System length
Total	2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi)
Gauge
Main	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Electrification
Main	None
Features

The Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) is a state-owned enterprise that runs a railway net that once was part of the East African Railways Corporation (EARC) operating in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika. Together with the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority the TRC provides the rail service for Tanzania.

Contents 1 Operations 2 Accidents 3 Privatisation 4 Timeline 4.1 2008 4.2 2007 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Operations

TRC's gauge is 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+³⁄₈ in) and the total length is about 2,600 km. Two east-west lines from the coast to the hinterland were initiated 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 both lines. The mainline has further branches, one to Lake Victoria where through wagon ferries a connection exists to the Uganda Railway. From the Tanga line a now defunct connection goes north to Kenya that was in operation during the time of the EARC.

There is a break-of-gauge at Dar es Salaam to the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) that at 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) links to Zambia.

A second link between these two lines is provided at Kidatu, where the TAZARA line met the already existing Kidatu branch.

[edit] Accidents

281 people died in the Igandu train disaster on June 24, 2002, the third largest train disaster in Africa.

[edit] Privatisation

In 2007 RITES Ltd. 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. ^[1] 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.^[2].

[edit] Timeline

[edit] 2008

• Tender for steel sleepers 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+³⁄₈ in) gauge convertible to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge. ^[3]
• Tender for concrete sleeper plant for dual 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+³⁄₈ in) and 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+¹⁄₂ in) gauges.

[edit] 2007

• The Deputy Minister for Infrastructure Maua Abeid Daftari proposes gauge conversion to standard gauge.

[edit] See also

• East African Railway Master Plan
• Central Line (Tanzania)
• Rail transport in Tanzania
• TAZARA
• Transport in Tanzania

[edit] References

1. ^ Rites Consortium to run railway in 2007
2. ^ "October start for Tanzania rail concession". Railway Gazette International. 2007-09-12. http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view//october-start-for-tanzania-rail-concession.html. 
3. ^ Supply Of Steel Railway Sleepers, Shoulders, And Pandrol Clips

[edit] External links

• TRC network
• Optic Fibre Communications