Tanzania launches electric rail service between capitals

A new electrified commuter railway in Tanzania meant to modernise travel in the traffic-plagued country made its inaugural journey between the commercial hub Dar es Salaam and the capital Dodoma on Thursday.

Built by a Turkish company, the 440-kilometre (273-mile) line is part of a 2,561-kilometre network expected to connect the north and west of the country to Dar es Salaam, an Indian Ocean port city.

The air-conditioned carriages from South Korea with built-in wifi have already developed a fan club among travellers weary of the ramshackle, diesel-spewing buses that dominate public transport in the nation of nearly 62 million people.

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“We have come a long way to have this service,” Ruben Mtaita said as he departed Dar es Salaam. “We are making history.”

A first line connecting the eastern Morogoro region to Dar es Salaam, some 200 kilometres apart, was launched last month.

Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC) said it will operate daily trips between Dodoma and Dar es Salaam, cutting the usual lengthy bus trip by more than half to around three and half hours.

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Analysts said the rail system is expected to provide a safe and reliable option to Tanzania’s rising population, while cutting carbon emissions and curbing noise and air pollution.

Abel Kinyondo, a lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam, described the railway as “the green way to conserve the environment by cutting vehicle-led pollution”.

The project in one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies is the cornerstone of a transformation plan by President Samia Suluhu Hassan ahead of national elections next year.

© Agence France-Presse