Tanzania, Burundi sign agreement for construction of 282km SGR
Tanzania and Burundi have signed an agreement for the joint construction of a 282-kilometer standard gauge railway (SGR).
In a statement, Tanzania’s Minister of Finance and Planning, Mwigulu Nchemba, said the two countries have agreed to jointly finance the multimillion-dollar deal project.
The rail line will start in Uvinza, in Tanzania’s western region of Kigoma, and terminate in Gitega in Burundi.
“Today, Prof Makame Mbarawa and I, we signed a bilateral agreement with the government of Burundi to build a Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Uvinza, Tanzania, to Gitega, Burundi. We have agreed with my counterpart, Minister of Finance in Burundi, to look for areas we can get fund to jointly finance the project,” Mwigulu said.
The rail line will boost goods and passenger traffic between the two countries and the other four member states of the East African Community; Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda.
Tanzania is currently constructing a standard gauge rail line covering 1,637 kilometers, from the major port of Dar es Salaam to western and northern regions, and connecting to landlocked countries of Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The new Tanzania SGR is intended to replace the old, inefficient meter-gauge railway system and reduce road congestion.
It is also expected to decrease freight costs by 40 per cent. Each freight train is expected to transport up to 10,000 tones, equivalent to 500 lorry loads.
