Keypoints:
- 506km railway targets 2030 completion
- Chinese joint venture holds construction contract
- Reports differ over cost and scope
TANZANIA has formally launched the 506-kilometre Tabora–Kigoma standard gauge railway, advancing a western transport corridor designed to connect Dar es Salaam port with Lake Tanganyika, expand Great Lakes trade and strengthen the country’s position as a regional logistics hub.
The July 20, 2026 foundation-stone ceremony came more than three years after the construction contract was signed. Tanzania Railways Corporation says the December 2022 agreement, worth TSh5.12tn ($2.21bn at signing), was awarded to a joint venture comprising China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and China Railway Construction Corporation.
Cost reports differ
President Samia Suluhu Hassan officiated at the ceremony in Katosho, Kigoma, where work on the line had already passed 10 percent. The event therefore marked the project’s formal launch rather than the physical start of construction.
Tanzanian reports differ over both the project’s latest value and its scope. The Guardian placed the Tabora–Kigoma section at TSh6.23tn ($2.36bn) and separately valued the Uvinza–Msongati railway at TSh3.17tn ($1.20bn).
The Citizen reported a value of TSh6.31tn ($2.39bn), describing the 506-kilometre project as comprising the Tabora–Kigoma and Uvinza–Msongati sections. Neither report identified a formal amendment replacing the TSh5.12tn ($2.21bn) contract announced by Tanzania Railways Corporation in December 2022.
Route targets regional trade
The original Tabora–Kigoma contract covers 411 kilometres of main line and 95 kilometres of passing loops. It also provides for 10 passenger stations and two major freight terminals at Uvinza and Katosho.
Officials expect the railway to reduce travel between Dar es Salaam and Kigoma from more than 20 hours to about eight. Construction is projected to create around 15,000 jobs in the Tabora and Kigoma regions, with completion scheduled for 2030.
The western extension is designed to connect Tanzania’s planned SGR network with Kigoma port and shipping services across Lake Tanganyika. It could provide a faster route for cargo moving between the Indian Ocean coast, Burundi and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Tanzania and the DRC have already agreed to establish dry ports as cargo volumes through Dar es Salaam increase. Linking those facilities with rail and lake transport could reduce dependence on long-distance road haulage and strengthen the Central Corridor.
Chinese rail role deepens
The project expands the role of Chinese contractors in Tanzania’s rail network. China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and China Railway Construction Corporation were previously selected to build the Isaka–Mwanza SGR section, extending their involvement in the country’s railway programme.
China is also involved in plans to rehabilitate the TAZARA railway linking Tanzania and Zambia. The project is expected to strengthen an established route serving Zambia’s copper-producing regions and the port of Dar es Salaam.
Tanzania is separately mobilising international finance for other parts of the SGR. A $1.28bn financing agreement supports the Makutupora–Isaka section, which is intended to link central Tanzania with north-western production centres and regional markets.
Together, the projects strengthen Dar es Salaam’s position as an Indian Ocean gateway for landlocked economies. They also place Tanzania more firmly in the competition among African corridors seeking to carry minerals, agricultural products and manufactured goods.
Delivery becomes the test
Attention will now turn to whether the contractors can meet the 2030 completion target and connect the line efficiently with Kigoma port, Lake Tanganyika shipping and onward routes into neighbouring countries.
The railway’s commercial performance will depend on those links and on Tanzania’s ability to attract sufficient passenger and freight traffic. Effective integration could strengthen regional trade while improving access to western Tanzania’s agriculture, mining and tourism industries.
