TRC announces 154 positions for SGR project

What you need to know:

  • The Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC) has announces 154 new positions for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), which is is expected to utilize ICT to limit the use of human beings in some of its operations to enhance e-services.

Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC) has announced 154 new vacant positions for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) that is expected to utilize ICT in order to minimize manual work and to enhance e-services.

This comes in the wake of the recent announcement by the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) that there were 68 new top managerial posts aimed at turning around the authority’s performance in order to maintain competitiveness within the region.

It further announced that the appointment was part of ongoing improvements.

Meanwhile, according to a statement by the Secretary of the Public Service Recruitment Secretariat, the government through TRC has launched the development of the SGR network whose feasibility study had been completed after covering more than 4,880km of SGR network in the country.

The network is distributed in three corridors namely: Central corridor which runs from Dar Port via Dodoma and Tabora to the north and west parts of Tanzania reaching borders with Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC and Zambia, which are landlocked countries.

The other is the Southern corridor covering Mtwara to Amelia Bay, Within Mbamba Bay areas, with spurs to Mchuchuma and Liganga in Njombe and Songea regions and the North Tanzania corridor that starts at the port in Tanga, traversing Moshi and Arusha to Musoma port that linkings the Central corridor at Shinyanga town.

“Prior to May 2017, Tanzania owned a railway network built more than 115 years ago by Germany and later Britain, along central corridor having Meter Gauge Standards,” read part of the statement.

However, it noted that implementation of the SGR project started in May 2017 with Phase-1 from Dar to Mwanza measuring 1,219 km along the central corridor, in 5-lots, while construction is ongoing for the first 2-lots of Dar to Morogoro (205km) and Morogoro to Makutopora- Singida (336km).

In view of the same, the statement read that the SGR system under construction included civil engineering structures, signaling and telecommunication facilities, electrification systems, electro- mechanical engineering equipment and machineries.

The operation and maintenance of the infrastructure, equipment and system will need latest equipment and processes that will mainly utilize ICT to minimize manual work and enhance e-working.

“We are laying down a very good employment environment for young qualified candidates  to start participating from the initial stages of the programme implementation, which is valued at more than $3.35 billion (equivalent to Sh7.01 trillion) for the 542km route only,” read the statement.

It noted that as the project progresses with execution of other phases or lots to finish the entire SGR network of 4,880km, employment will be guaranteed as construction will take years to complete.

The statement further says that the SGR system requires engagement of a qualified workforce to take part first at testing and commissioning and at a later stage of operations and maintenance.

However, it was noted that the positions of 18 TRC officials who were recently charged with abuse of public office were not among the ones announced.

Therefore, the posts announced included civil engineers comprising civil engineering (track)- 16 posts, civil engineer II (track)- 8 posts, senior civil engineer II (track)- 6 posts, principal civil engineer II (track)- 2 posts, others are electrical engineering- 18 posts including electrical engineering II- 10 posts, senior electrical engineer II- 6 posts, principal electrical engineering II- 2 posts.

Other posts include signal and telecommunication engineering- 8 posts which comprise of signaling and telecommunication engineer II- 5 posts, senior signaling and telecommunication engineering II- 3 posts.

Other posts announced include mechanical engineer-18posts which are mechanical engineer II- 12 posts, senior mechanical engineer II- 6 posts, including train controllers -7 posts comprising of train controllers II- 4 posts and senior train controllers II- 3 posts.

Computer engineers- 8 posts was also included, including computer engineering II- 6 posts, senior computer engineers II- 2 posts, others are instructors- 10 posts including instructors II -5 posts and senior instructors II- 5 posts.

Train safety officer- 3 posts included train safety officer II- 2 posts, senior train safety officer II- 1 post as well as technicians including civil technicians- 16 posts, civil technician PWI II- 8 posts, civil technician OTM- 8 posts.

Including EMU train drivers- 10 posts, mechanical technician II- 8 posts, electrical technician II- 8 posts, signal and telecommunication technician II- 8 posts, train safety technicians II- 7 posts