AfricaPress-Tanzania: The Minister of Works and Transport, Dr Leonard Chamuriho has said the transport of high speed trains from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro will officially start in August this year and now what is awaited is the arrival of electric trains for the start of trials.
He said this yesterday during a visit by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Infrastructure which was inspecting the construction of the SGR railway from Ihumwa-Dodoma station to Morogoro Station.
The Minister said construction from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro has been completed by more than 90 percent while that from Morogoro to Makutupora Dodoma has reached 50 percent.
“In June we hope to get an electric train and we will test it and in August the train will officially start working, next year, the train from Morogoro to Makutupora -Dodoma will start working after completion,” he said.
The Parliamentary Committee on Infrastructure and MPs who are members of the committee are satisfied with the ongoing construction and the stage reached
He said in Africa as a whole the SGR railway line being built in the country is the best and can withstand a heavy load of 35 tons.
“Fellow railways it only holds 25 tons but we are 35 tons which means you can carry a wagon on top of a wagon,” he said.
The Chairman of the Board of the Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC), Professor John Kondoro said the construction of the railway from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro has been completed by more than 90 percent and good work has been done.
He said the status of the bridges is good which shows that it will last a long time. Kondoro said by July this year, train heads and wagons would have arrived.
“The first trip from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro will be completed. In Dar es Salaam there are parts to complete between Buguruni and Ukonga,” he said.
He said the presence of SGR would make Tanzania a big step forward.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Selemani Kakoso thanked the government for building SGR stressing that great progress is being made. “Even the things we were advising in parliament have worked,” he said.
Acting Assistant Project Manager from Morogoro station, Engineer Simon Mbaga said the construction of the Morogoro station has reached 98 percent and is in the final stages of implementation.
He said it would be able to cater for 185 passengers who would be seated and more than 400 passengers could be served at one time. The station will have five kiosks, four restaurants and will be able to park 180 small cars, six buses and five trucks.
