TRL to refund travellers Sh56 million

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania Railways Limited (TRL) is spending a total of Sh55.93 million to refund people who failed to travel from Dar es Salaam to upcountry destinations on the Central Railway Line due to damage on some sections caused by heavy rains.

The money will be paid to 684 passengers who were unable to travel on January 12, 14 and 16, according to the TLR marketing manager Mr Iddi Mzugu.

“So far, we have paid out Sh21.13 million. We have decided to refund them because we are not sure of the time it will take for the damaged sections of the Central Line to be fully repaired,” he said, adding that engineers were currently surveying the damaged sections.

Another Sh25 million has been spent on bus fares for passengers who were stranded at Morogoro and Dodoma stations after the line was closed for safety reasons.

Mr Mzungu said the work of repairing the damaged part of the railway had not yet started.

The Central Line, which was built over a century ago, has frequently been rendered inoperable by floods and other natural calamities in recent years. The railway links Dar es Salaam with Mwanza and Kigoma.