SGR trials on course, says TRC

Dar es Salaam. The government yesterday said one locomotive engine and six wagons will arrive in the country in August for Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) trials.

The Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) director general, Mr Masanja Kadogosa yesterday said during an exclusive interview with The Citizen that the trial will involve a railway section stretching between Dar es Salaam to Morogoro regions.

Speaking during an exclusive interview at TRC headquarters here, Mr Kadogosa said following arrivals in August, actual trials will commence in September this year.

“The corporation will start with one locomotive engine and six wagons…but the long term plan is to increase the number to two engines and 30 carriages,” he said.

In his clarification, Mr Kadogosa said the first phase will exist to the end of 2023 when another batch of a locomotive engine and carriages would be received for the second term that will continue to 2025.

Mr Kadogosa said that TRC has signed a contract with China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) to manufacture 1,430 cargo wagons, and 59 passenger carriages from the South Korea based Sung Shin Rolling Stock Technology Limited.

TRC will also procure 10 sets of modern trains comprising a total of 17 electric locomotive engines and 80 wagons from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem of the SGR operations. “The contract’s cost is Sh1.18 trillion currently under different stages of implementation. Procurement contracts were given to companies that won tenders,” said Mr Kadogosa.

According to him, the two locomotive engines and 30 wagons expected to be used for trials were supposed to be supplied by the Turkish company-Eurowagon.

“Eurowagon Company had failed to meet contractual agreement which expired in November 2021, something that forced TRC to terminate the contract on February 25, 2022,” he said.

“Eurowagon had received 35 percent of the total costs which is equivalent to 24.4 million euros (Sh58.56 billion),” he said