Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) has completed testing 264 newly delivered freight wagons for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), paving the way for the launch of cargo transportation on the electric rail network.
The trial runs, conducted under the supervision of the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (LATRA), assessed the wagons’ performance in both static and dynamic conditions.
These wagons, manufactured by CRRC in China, arrived in Tanzania in December 2024 and underwent a month-long evaluation.
“LATRA has verified that they can operate safely at the SGR’s design speed of 120 km/h, including critical functions such as braking on curves,” a statement released by TRC on Monday, March 10 said.
The completion of this milestone is a crucial step towards commencing freight services on Tanzania’s SGR, a project that is expected to revolutionize the country’s logistics sector.
The newly tested wagons are part of a larger order of 1,430 freight wagons aimed at reducing reliance on road transport.
Currently, Tanzania heavily depends on trucks to move cargo from Dar es Salaam Port to inland markets and neighbouring landlocked countries.
Once fully operational, each SGR freight train will be able to transport up to 10,000 tonnes per trip—equivalent to the capacity of 500 heavy trucks.
This shift is expected to alleviate congestion on highways, lower transport costs, and enhance trade efficiency.
TRC has indicated that commercial freight operations are set to commence by April 2025, as work continues to connect the main SGR line from the Ilala freight station to the Dar es Salaam Port.
The freight service launch would follow the successful rollout of passenger operations on the Dar es Salaam-Morogoro-Dodoma route, which has significantly reduced travel time from nine to three hours.
The SGR has also increased affordability and safety compared to road transport, leading to a surge in demand, particularly among business travellers and commuters.
With further extensions planned for Mwanza and Kigoma, the SGR is poised to become the backbone of Tanzania’s transport network, facilitating regional trade and positioning the country as a key logistics hub in East Africa.
