Author: PETI SIYAME
AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE government has insisted that it is committed to constructing a railway line stretch from Mpanda Town in Katavi Region to Karema Port in Lake Tanganyika.
The railway line stretch from Mpanda Town to the strategic port of Karema is seen as an important step to improve rail transport as the project is expected to be finished next year.
Speaking in Mpanda at the weekend, Tanzania Railways Cooperation (TRC) Director General Masanja Kadogosa said the government had set aside over 60bn/- for the construction of Karema Port and the railway line stretch to the major zonal terminal in Lake Tanganyika.
Karema Port, whose construction will cost 47.92bn/-, is expected to be completed next year and will be the major zonal terminal to be reached by the railway line from Mpanda Town.
Karema Port is a strategic terminal as it will serve parts of the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia and Burundi.
Constructing the railway line stretch from Mpanda to Karema Port will enable goods destined for some parts of the Eastern DRC to be transported by rail from Dar es Salaam to Karema Port before proceeding to the largest Central Africa nation.
According to Mr Kadogosa, part of over 6bn/- set aside for the project, will be spent on the construction of the railway line which will connect the terminal to Mpanda Town.
The central railway line branches off in Kaliua District, Tabora, before continuing to Mpanda in Katavi Region.
Mr Kadogosa, who also serves as Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) board member, said further that the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project would serve as a link to strategic regions in the country and neighbouring DRC, Zambia, Rwanda and Burundi.
During his tour of Rukwa Region in July this year, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said the government was determined to open up to the Lake Tanganyika Zone by constructing and expanding four ports in Rukwa and Katavi regions at 65.3bn/-.
TPA has several port projects in the Lake Tanganyika Zone that consists of three regions of Kigoma, Katavi and Rukwa.
Some of the ports in the zone include Kabwe Port in Nkasi District, whose construction will cost 7.49bn/- and Kipili Port also in Nkasi District, whose cost will be about 5bn/-.
The construction of Kasanga Port in Kasanga Ward, Kalambo District, in Rukwa Region, which is the second largest terminal after Kigoma Terminal, is estimated to cost 4.764bn/-.
