AfricaPress-Tanzania: THERE will be adequate power for operating the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), with the Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa vowing that electric trains will never stop because of power interruptions.
The premier gave the assurance as construction of the project edges to completion; with 77.9 per cent of construction works being completed.
After inspecting the project on Thursday, Mr Majaliwa was satisfied with the development of construction and was upbeat that it will be completed even before its set timeframe, commending the contractor Yapi Merkezi, for a good job.
“This railway will not stop even for a single day because of lacking power because it would be fed by three sources of electricity,” he confidently affirmed.
The Mwalimu Nyerere Hydropower Project which is under construction along Rufiji River will be one of the major sources of power for operating the SGR.
Kidatu hydropower plant and Kinyerezi gaspowered electricity plant are other sources to ensure that the railway is assured of reliable power supply.
“It can’t happen that all these sources can fail to supply power simultaneously; in the event of an interruption in one of them, the project will be receiving electricity from another one,” the prime minister stated during a stop-over at Soga in Coast Region.
Moreover, the electric train that will be operating on the SGR will have its own power backup that lasts for at least 45 minutes.
The premier inspected the Dar es Salaam-Morogoro railway, assuring the residents who paved the way for the project that each of them will be compensated.
“None of you will be denied his or her right to be paid. Many of you have already been paid,” he said.
He explained over benefits of the SGR project, saying nearly 19,000 locals have been employed in the project from Dar es Salaam-Morogoro and Morogoro-Makutupora sections.
Earlier, Energy Minister Medard Kalemani told the prime minister that constructing a power line for the SGR was a strategic project which had reached a 94 per cent stage.
There will be four power stations with 456 electric poles for the first phase of the SGR, and the minister noting that 450 electric poles had already been installed.
The power to the railway will enable the Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) to save 45 per cent of its revenues being spent on fuel to run trains.
On his part, TRC Director General Masanja Kadogosa told the premier that the Soga station construction was complete by 96 per cent.
The entire line from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro has a total of six stations – Dar es Salaam, Pugu, Soga, Ruvu, Ngerengere, Morogoro.
The second phase of the SGR from Morogoro to Makutupora in Singida has been completed by 30.8 per cent so far.
The 2,561 km Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line is designed to connect the port of Dar es Salaam to Tanzania’s land-linked neighbours such as Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, and Eastern DR Congo.
The project is estimated to cost 14.2bn US dollars.
