Friends of the Rail Forum

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and her Zambian counterpart, Haikande Hichilema, have agreed to upgrade the cross-border railway connecting the two countries to speed up economic progress as part of a broader push to strengthen ties. The decision to revive the Tanzania and Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) was reached last week in the port city of Dar es Salaam where the two leaders held talks. Hassan said the dilapidated, single-track TAZARA line does not deliver what is expected and an upgrade is badly needed to tap new business opportunities along the route. “In today’s world, railway is standard gauge, so through a public-private partnership (PPP) we have agreed to mobilize resources to improve the railway to that level,” she said...

Half a century ago, the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (Tazara) stood out as a crucial symbol of Africa’s struggle for independence. The 1,860km-long railway connects Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia with Dar es Salaam at the Indian Ocean... In recent years, political will to refurbish the Freedom Railway – not least to reduce the expensive wear and tear on roads – has grown. However, tight public finances have prevented a major recapitalisation. In August 2022, Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema made his first visit as head of state to Tanzania. After meetings with his counterpart Samia Suluhu Hassan, they announced that the two governments had agreed to rehabilitate Tazara. They sought to upgrade its tracks from Cape gauge (1,067mm) to standard gauge (1,435mm) through a public-private partnership. An upgrade to standard gauge would enable the Uhuru railway to interlink with Tanzania’s new standard gauge railway...