Tanzania’s main port of Dar es Salaam is currently handling more than 3,000 cargo containers a day, a situation that calls for improvements in cargo transportation and distribution systems to reduce congestion.
To this effect, the Government of Tanzania is constructing a large, well-organised Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) cargo-handling facility in Bahi District, Dodoma Region, as part of efforts to ease cargo congestion at the country’s main maritime gateway in the coastal city of Dar es Salaam.
Transport Minister Prof. Makame Mbarawa has visited and inspected the progress of construction works for the key facility in the semi-arid region.
He said completion of the station is expected to help reduce cargo congestion in Dar es Salaam by facilitating the receipt and distribution of goods to and from various parts of the country.
Once operational, according to him, the new station will provide traders and customers with an alternative location to receive their cargo through Bahi, reducing their heavy reliance on the Port of Dar es Salaam and other cargo-handling areas within the city.
According to the minister, using the station as a cargo reception and distribution hub would help reduce the number of heavy-duty trucks operating in Dar es Salaam while making business operations easier for traders.
“This station should be used to receive cargo from various locations so that customers can access their goods through Bahi,” he said.
He added that connecting the SGR to the Metre Gauge Railway (MGR) would strengthen cargo transportation, reduce the number of trucks on the roads and ease traffic congestion along routes used to transport goods.
For his part, Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) Director General Machibya M. Shiwa said the railway section between Makutupora and other areas covered by the project forms part of the ongoing development of the modern railway network, with Bahi Station among the facilities expected to strengthen transportation services.
Mr Shiwa said Bahi Station was connected to both the SGR and MGR networks, a development expected to improve transport connectivity and facilitate cargo transfers between the two railway systems.
He said a train journey between Dar es Salaam and Bahi takes approximately three hours, helping reduce travel time and facilitate passenger transport and cargo-related operations.
The railway connection is expected to improve the efficiency of goods transportation, reduce costs associated with road congestion and strengthen transport services across the country.
In view of the need to improve these services, Prof. Mbarawa directed the Tanzania Shipping Agencies Corporation (TASAC), TRC and the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) to learn from Egypt’s experience in adopting systems that improve transportation operations and cargo management.