The government plans to expand commuter rail services to Bunju and Mbagala in Dar es Salaam Region and Kibaha and Pugu in Coast Region, the minister said, adding that a feasibility study was underway.
Dodoma. After years of dilly-dallying, the government plans to revamp Tanzania Railways Limited (TRL) services along the Central Line by acquiring over 300 new locomotives, passenger coaches and cargo wagons between June and December, this year.
Transport minister Harrison Mwakyembe told Parliament on Saturday that the government was committed to reviving the Central Line by purchasing new locomotives and wagons and repairing old ones. He said by April 30, this year, his ministry had received about 88 per cent of the budget allocated to it for 2013/14. The ministry had by April 30 received Sh145 billion of the Sh165.6 billion approved for development projects.
Dr Mwakyembe asked Parliament to approve the ministry’s 2014/15 proposed budget of Sh527.9 billion.
He said the government plans to spend Sh126.9 billion to refurbish locomotives, buy 274 freight wagons, 13 locomotives and 22 passenger coaches and repair sections of the 2,707km Central Line in the next financial year.
The government signed a contract for the purchase of 13 new locomotives in April, last year, Dr Mwakyembe said, adding that all payments had been made and the engines will have arrived by December.
An agreement for the purchase of 22 passenger coaches was signed in March 2013, and the wagons will have been shipped in by September.
Dr Mwakyembe told Parliament that advance payment had been made for 274 cargo wagons, which were due to start arriving in September.
He blamed rundown infrastructure and equipment for TRL’s poor performance last year. The firm moved 154,341 tonnes of cargo in 2013, down from 198,024 tonnes in 2012.
TRL transported 506,934 passengers in 2012, but the number dropped to 492,377 last year.
Dr Mwakyembe said the Dar es Salaam commuter train service was steadily gaining popularity among the city’s residents. Over 1.3 million people used the city’s commuter rail network last year, up from 230,009 in 2012.
The government plans to expand commuter rail services to Bunju and Mbagala in Dar es Salaam Region and Kibaha and Pugu in Coast Region, the minister said, adding that a feasibility study was underway.
Plans are also afoot to link Dar es Salaam and Bagamoyo by rail. Dr Mwakyembe also clarified on the confusion surrounding the construction of berths Number 13 and Number 14 at Dar es Salaam Port.
He said the project cost of $523 million (Sh837 billion) cited by China Communication and Construction Company (CCCC) was grossly inflated and therefore unrealistic. The project was suspended last September and the government wss in the process of pulling out of its contract with CCCC and commissioning another contractor. On air transport, Dr Mwakyembe said 23 new aircraft had so far been registered in the current financial year.
The government also plans to install two new aviation radars at the cost of Sh11.1 billion, he revealed.
