Tanzania Standard Gauge Railway

Phase 1

The first phase covers a distance of 300 km, from the city Dar es Salaam to Morogoro.[8]

This section was contracted to a 50/50 consortium comprising Yapi Merkezi of Turkey and Mota-Engil of Portugal. Construction began in April 2017 and Yapi Merkezi have been showing the progress of construction with monthly video reports on YouTube.[2] Partial funding for this section, amounting to US$1.2 billion, was borrowed from the Export Credit Bank of Turkey.[9] There are six stations: Dar es Salaam, Pugu, Soga, Ruvu, Ngerengere and Morogoro. Three trains make daily round trips.[10]

With infrastructure complete, electrical tests [11] and live train trials began in late April, 2022. Passenger service on the section was inaugurated on 14 June 2024.[12]

• Dar es Salaam–Morogoro Section

Phase 2

The second phase covers a distance of approximately 426 km,[13] from Morogoro via Dodoma to Makutopora in Manyoni District, Singida Region.[14] In September 2018, the government of Tanzania secured a US$1.46 billion soft loan from Standard Chartered Bank for the funding of this stretch.[9] The section was also contracted to the consortium that constructed the Dar es Salaam–Morogoro Section. The stations after Morogoro are Mkata, Kilosa, Kidete, Gulwe, Igunda, Dodoma, Bahi and Makutopora.

Passenger service between Dar es Salaam, Morogoro and Dodoma began 25 July 2024.[15]

• Morogoro–Makutopora Section

Phase 3 (aka phase 3, lot 1)

The third phase runs from Makutopora to Tabora, including 7 stations and 294 kilometers of mainline and 74 kilometers of intersections, for a total of 368 kilometers at a cost of US$1.9 billion (TZS 4.41 trillion). The contract has been awarded to Yapi Merkezi, which has constructed the first two phases. The foundation stone was placed in April 2022 with work to start immediately.[16] According to the director general of the Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC), the section was 15% completed in May 2025.[17]

• Makutopora–Tabora Section

Phase 4 (aka phase 3, lot 2)

The fourth phase will cover Tabora to Isaka, a distance of 130 km. As of August 2022, the Tabora–Isaka section has been awarded to Yapi Merkezi[18] and work is in the mobilization stage. In January 2023, The Citizen newspaper reported that construction on the section has begun.[19] According to TRC's director general, the section was 6.87% completed in May 2025.[17]

• Tabora–Isaka Section

Phase 5

This section, measuring approximately 341 km, runs from Isaka to the city of Mwanza, on the southern shores of Lake Victoria. In January 2021, The Citizen newspaper reported that two Chinese companies had been selected to construct this section of the SGR. China Civil Engineering Construction (CCECC) and China Railway Construction Company (CRCC) were selected to carry out the work at a contract price of approximately TZS:3 trillion (approx. US$1.3 billion).[20] Later that month, The East African reported that Tanzania had secured funding worth US$1.32 billion through the Government of China for the purpose of building this section of the SGR.[21] The section is under construction.[22] In May 2025, the section had reached 63% completion according to the TRC's director general.[17]

• Isaka–Mwanza Section

Phase 6

Tabora–Kigoma

This section, measuring approximately 506 km, runs from Tabora to Kigoma on the eastern shores of Lake Tanganyika. The contract was signed on 20 December 2022, between the Government of Tanzania and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and China Railway Construction Company (CRCC) for the construction of the railway.[23][24] In May 2025, the section had reached 7.88% completion according to the TRC's director general.[17]

Further planned phases

In January 2025, TRC announced plans to expand the SGR network with a new 1028 kilometre line from the port of Tanga via Moshi and Arusha to Musoma on the shores of Lake Victoria. The line is scheduled for completion in 2028.[25] Beyond improving connectivity in northern Tanzania, the railway is intended to transport soda ash and nickel.[26] There are plans for a southward SGR branch off the Tabora–Kigoma line. The 321 kilometre branch will start at Kaliua and run via Mpanga to Karema on the shore of Lake Tanganyika.[27][28] This stretch of the SGR is a component of the Isaka–Kigali Standard Gauge Railway and measures approximately 371 km. Construction of this section is budgeted at US$942 million.[29] In April 2018, the EastAfrican newspaper reported that the World Bank had expressed its willingness to fund the Isaka–Kigali Standard Gauge Railway.[1]

Uvinza–Malagarasi Section

In January 2022, the governments of Tanzania and Burundi signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the construction of a SGR line connecting the two countries.[30] As part of the Tanzania–Burundi Standard Gauge Railway, 180 kilometres of railway will be constructed from Uvinza, off the Tabora–Kigoma line, to the Malagarasi river on the border. On the Burundian side, a second section of 187 kilometres will link the border town of Musongati to the capital Gitega. Initial cost was estimated at US$900 million.[31] In January 2025, the Government of Tanzania through the Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) and the Government of Burundi through BRC signed a construction contract with China Railway Engineering Group to build the 282km of SGR between these two countries. The contract cost is US$ 2.1 billion. The construction expected to take 72 months to completion.

Mtwara–Mbamba Bay Railway

A railway in southern Tanzania, linking the Indian Ocean to Lake Nyasa, was first proposed in the 2000s. In November 2023, the Tanzanian government revived the project, seeking funding at an investor conference in Morocco and securing US$2.2 billion of interest in the project. Tanzania is looking for total funding of US$5.6 billion and a public-private partnership. The new railway will run for 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) from the coastal port of Mtwara to Mbamba Bay on the eastern shore of Lake Malawi, traversing regions rich in iron-ore, coal and graphite. It will also serve proposed coal and iron ore mines in Mchuchuma and Liganga.[32][33]

• Tanga–Musoma Section

• Kaliua–Karema Section

• Isaka–Rusumo Section

Locomotives

Trainsets