THE governments of Tanzania and Burundi have signed a $US 2.15bn agreement with two Chinese firms to construct a 282km standard-gauge railway between the two countries.
China Railway Engineering Group and China Railway Engineering Design and Consulting will build the new line that will run from the Tanzanian town of Uvinza, near the border with Burundi, to Musongati in central Burundi. Musongati is located close to the world’s 10th largest nickel deposit as well as reserves of gold, platinum, palladium, copper and iron.
The construction contract covers two of three lots for the planned 651km line that will run from Tabora, on the under-construction Dar es Saalam - Mwanza line standard-gauge line, to Musongati: the 156km Uvinza - Malagarasi section in Tanzania and the 84km Malagarasi -Musongati section in Burundi.
The African Development Bank is providing a mixture of grants and loans to finance construction of the project. The line is expected to carry up to 3 million tonnes of minerals per year upon completion.
The line is a branch of the 411km line that is under construction from Tabora to Kigoma close to the border with Rwanda. Tanzanian Railway Corporation (TRC) signed a contract with China Civil Engineering Construction (CCECC) to build this line in December 2022.
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The June 2024 edition of IRJ included a detailed overview of Tanzania's railway expansion plans. Website subscribers can read the article here.
