TRC mulls increasing SGR trips to meet surge in passenger demand

He said TRC is in the final stages of technical preparations to introduce additional daily SGR services in both the Dar es Salaam–Dodoma and Dodoma–Dar es Salaam directions to ease persistent ticket shortages.

Mr Masanja said the process is expected to be completed by the fourth week of January, when at least one extra daily train service will be introduced to reduce pressure on passengers, many of whom have been forced to book tickets several days in advance.

“Demand is very high, and as TRC we are fully aware of the challenges faced by passengers. The process of increasing trips is already under way.

There are a few technical issues we are finalising, and once these are addressed in the third week of January, new services will start in the fourth week,” he said.

He explained that, in addition to increasing the number of daily trips, TRC has adopted an operational strategy of coupling trains to boost passenger capacity, allowing two train sets to operate as a single service.

Mr Masanja said the Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trains, popularly known as Mchongoko, were initially designed to carry 580 passengers per trip. However, rising demand has prompted TRC to couple two EMU sets, increasing capacity to 1,160 passengers per journey.

“We introduced this approach in November after assessing travel demand ahead of the December peak season. Instead of running a single train with a capacity of 580 passengers, we coupled two EMU trains, enabling us to carry 1,160 passengers in one trip,” he said.

He added that TRC has an adequate fleet of SGR trains and that once additional services are introduced, operations at the Dodoma section will allow trains to run simultaneously in both directions. Currently, a single train arrives, offloads passengers and then returns.

“From a technical perspective, we will begin by introducing one additional train service. As operational capacity improves, more trains will be added. The number of daily trips will continue to increase in line with passenger demand,” he said.

The planned expansion follows reports by The Citizen on December 28 last year that heavy rainfall disrupted SGR services, leaving passengers stranded for hours at Magufuli SGR Station in Dar es Salaam due to weather-related technical challenges.

At the time, the Ministry of Transport and TRC confirmed that storms had damaged sections of both the old metre-gauge railway and the new SGR infrastructure, while also causing power faults in the electrified rail system. The disruptions resulted in temporary suspensions and delays to several services.

In response, TRC introduced additional SGR trips on the Dar es Salaam–Dodoma and Dar es Salaam–Morogoro routes to accommodate passengers affected by the delays and cancellations.

Reports also cited power supply challenges linked to faults in the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) grid, which further disrupted rail operations towards the end of December.

Further disruptions were recorded on New Year’s Eve, when TRC temporarily suspended some SGR services following heavy rains in parts of central Tanzania.

According to an official statement, the rains caused damage in areas including Kidete in Kilosa District, Morogoro Region, and Godegode in Mpwapwa District, Dodoma Region, raising safety concerns along sections of the railway line.

As a precaution, TRC suspended the affected services to ensure the safety of passengers and staff while assessments and repair works were carried out.

Passengers were advised to follow official communication channels for updates on the resumption of services. The corporation also apologised for the inconvenience, reiterating that passenger safety remains its top priority as it works to stabilise and expand SGR operations nationwide.