YEAR ENDER 2024: Tanzania launches SGR practice companies

DAR ES SALAAM: As 2024 involves a detailed, Tanzania stands tall, celebrating a monumental achievement that bridges its previous with its future.

The completion and launch of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) marks not solely a milestone in infrastructure growth but additionally a legacy for generations to return.

This mission is extra than simply an infrastructure success; it’s a testomony to the nation’s imaginative and prescient and dedication to modernize and progress.

The SGR mission started as a daring imaginative and prescient a dream shared by three Tanzanian presidents: President Jakaya Kikwete, the late President John Magufuli, and the present President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Laying the groundwork
The fourth-phase president, Dr Jakaya Kikwete, spearheaded the feasibility examine for the mission, whereas the late fifth-phase president, Dr. John Magufuli, totally launched into its execution. In 2017, Dr. Magufuli laid the inspiration stone for the SGR mission, initiating what would grow to be one of many nation’s most formidable infrastructure endeavors.

With the collaboration of Turkish agency Yapi Merkezi and Portuguese agency Mota-Engil Africa, the mission gained momentum, envisioning a 1,457-kilometer railway connecting Dar es Salaam to Lake Victoria, serving as a significant artery for commerce and social progress.

First Phase: Dar es Salaam to Morogoro
In mid-June 2024, a turning level was reached with the launch of the primary part of the railway connecting Dar es Salaam to Morogoro. The fashionable electrical practice service, designed to scale back journey time from three hours to only one, instantly captured public consideration.

Citizens who boarded the glossy, quiet trains described the expertise as transformative, ushering in a brand new period of quick, dependable, and reasonably priced transport. The service linked city facilities and created new financial alternatives for communities alongside the route, symbolizing progress, effectivity, and a brighter future.

A Grand Celebration: Dar to Dodoma
On August 2, 2024, the second part of the SGR, linking Dar es Salaam to Dodoma, was inaugurated by President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

The journey, which as soon as took as much as 9 hours, was lowered to only three hours and 35 minutes—a outstanding 60% discount in journey time. President Samia led the maiden journey, boarding the electrical practice in Dar es Salaam and stopping at key stations, together with Pugu, Ngerengere, and Morogoro, to greet residents.

The practice arrived in Dodoma to a heat and jubilant reception, the place the President emphasised the railway’s significance as a logo of nationwide delight and progress.

Over 2,000 passengers, together with authorities leaders, joined the inaugural journey, celebrating a nation’s collective effort and resilience.

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Impact on Communities:

Communities alongside the railway route are already benefiting, with merchants, farmers, and entrepreneurs gaining simpler entry to markets and sources. The mission serves as a lifeline for financial growth, connecting city and rural areas like by no means earlier than.

On November 2, 2024, Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) launched the Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) practice service between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma. TRC Director General Mr. Masanja Kadogosa revealed that the SGR now transports 9,000 to 10,000 passengers every day.

In recognition of the presidents’ contributions to the mission, the primary stations have been named of their honor: Dar es Salaam Station as Magufuli Station, Morogoro as Jakaya Kikwete Station, and Makutopora Dodoma as Samia Station.

Looking forward
While 2024 celebrates what has been achieved, the SGR’s final imaginative and prescient is much from full. The mission goals to attach Dar es Salaam to Mwanza and past, overlaying the nation with fashionable rail infrastructure.

With a deliberate funding of 23.3 trillion/- over 5 years, the SGR will improve Tanzania’s place as a regional commerce hub, linking neighboring international locations and fostering cross-border financial collaboration.

During the official launch of SGR electrical practice companies between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma, Minister for Transport Prof. Makame Mbarawa introduced that the federal government had already paid 6.3 trillion/- of the whole mission value.