Train. The Tanzania Railways Limited (TRL)
Dar es salaam’S city commuter train, which ceased operations one month ago, will resume services any time this week after maintenance and repair.
This was revealed over the weekend by Tanzania Railway Limited (TRL), acting Director Elias Mshana in an interview with the Guardian in Bagamoyo, Coast Region on the sideline of TRL staff retreat.
He said that currently the company was finalising the process of purchasing diesel multiple engines to be fixed to the Dar es Salaam commuter train.
Mshana clarified that engines currently used to pull the city commuter train were not specific meant for the train.
Mshana said that diesel multiple units were once recommended to be used to pull the city commuter train.
“Procurement process is underway and when it is completed the locomotives will arrive. I call on our esteemed customers to remain calm while the process is finalised, “he said.
It is now over one month since TRL stopped the services of the city commuter train after one of its engines was involved in an accident at Buguruni railway crossings hence had to undergo for maintenance.
When launched the city commuter train, the former Minister of Transport Dr Harrison Mwakyembe said that the government plan was to see the train operating in the city in a bid to improve the services, noting that some of the infrastructures were still under construction.
The minister said that the response of people on the first day was remarkable, adding that the service would operate for six days a week.
He said although there was only one train at the moment, they were working on infrastructure to support the project such as track bypass for the trains and when this was accomplished another train would come into service.
“In this fiscal year’s budget the government had allocated 5.1bn/- to hire engines and coaches from abroad…but we’ve realised that this is expensive because one engine costs 3m/-per day …so Tanzanian engineers from TAZARA and TRL have managed to rehabilitate the old coaches, engines and railway infrastructures at a cheaper cost,” he said.
He said the TRL engineers had successfully rehabilitated 14 coaches and two engines while Reli Assets Holding Company had reconstructed the railway for a cost of 2.6bn/-.
Dr Mwakyembe further clarified that the use of railway transport in Dar es Salaam was to reduce congestion by carrying over 30,000 passengers a day.
He said each train would have six coaches with the capacity of carrying 1,000 passengers. This plan will have eight runs in the morning and eight in the evening at peak hours.
Dr Mwakyembe had called on the responsible authorities to ensure that people were not running business along the railway line.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
