LATRA Board of Directors Commends Tanzania’s SGR Preparations
The Board of Directors of the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (LATRA) visited the Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) at the TRC headquarters and the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) station at Pugu in Dar es Salaam on 01 February 2024.
The Chairman of the TRC Board of Directors, Ally Karavina, stated that LATRA and TRC met to discuss the preparations for the commencement of the SGR operations.
“The current state of preparations is good, from technical aspects, legislation, fare preparation, as well as our service providers are also well-prepared and continuing with training on how to serve passengers to a good international standard,” said Ally Karavina, Chairman of the TRC Board of Directors.
The aim of the visit was to observe the progress of the construction project of the international standard railway overseen by the Tanzania Railways Corporation. To date, the construction progress is as follows: Dar es Salaam to Morogoro 98.78%, Morogoro to Makutupora 96.15%, Makutupora to Tabora 13.23%, Tabora to Isaka 5.33%, and Isaka to Mwanza 50.51%.
The Chairman of the LATRA Board of Directors, Professor Ahmed Ame, stated that LATRA has significant responsibilities in rail transport, including the regulation of service providers (TRC), the provision of corporate services, and railway infrastructure.
Additionally, Chairman Professor Ahmed Mohamed Ame emphasized the technical readiness in implementing the directive of Her Excellency, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, that by July 2024, the SGR passenger trains from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma should start providing transport services.
The Acting Director of TRC, Mr. Senzige Kisenge, mentioned, “LATRA is the regulator of TRC services, and we have discussed completing matters related to fares and licenses. We have had good discussions and will complete them on time. The Board of Directors has also been able to see the progress and readiness of the SGR infrastructure.”
“Preparations are progressing well, and we are largely finalizing the trials of the tracks, wagons, and train engines,” emphasized Senzige Kisenge.
LATRA Director CPA Habibu Suluo stated that LATRA was waiting to inspect the wagons, where they observed both economy and business class wagons, thus LATRA will finalize the fare structure through these classes.
“We are satisfied with the preparations made by TRC, so we are going to finalize the fare issue. We also ask the public to familiarize themselves with these wagons so that when we announce the SGR fares, everyone understands what the economy and business classes are like,”
Moreover, Director CPA Habibu Suluo commended TRC for managing this significant project and also praised the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania for ensuring the construction is completed.
The LATRA Board of Directors promised to continue providing support to ensure that TRC commences operations before July 2024. This commitment is confirmed by how LATRA and TRC are organized to cooperate towards providing superior rail transport services.
TRC has been entrusted by the Government to oversee the construction project of the international standard railway, starting with the first phase from Dar es Salaam to Mwanza and the first segment of the second phase from Tabora to Kigoma, a project expected to transform the economy of Tanzanians and the nation as a whole once it commences operations.
