Tanzania
Country Details
See Wikipedia
National Railway System
National Railway Operator
Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) is a state-owned enterprise which operates the following lines:
- Central Line: Dar es Salaam - Dodoma (the political capital) - Kigoma (on Lake Tanganyika), with a branch to Mwanza (on Lake Victoria).
- Tanga Line: Tanga - Arusha.
- Korogwe - Ruvu, linking the two lines above.
- The Tanzania Standard Gauge Railway (SGR): Dar es Salaam - Dodoma - Morogoro. The stations at both Dodoma and Morogoro are on the outskirts and not near the Central Line stations.
The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), which operates the Dar es Salaam - New Kapiri Mposhi (Zambia) line.
Timetable
- Online: unofficial timetable information is available at Fahrplancenter. Note that this may be substantially out of date.
- Printed: summary timetables are available in some editions of the European Rail Timetable.
Extensive information is available at the Man in Seat 61, including the TAZARA service to Zambia.
Ticketing
Correspondent report from Dar es Salaam March 2023 - "Up with only a few hours sleep to try and get tickets for the 15:00 Dar es Salaam to Kigoma/Mpanda/Mwanza ordinary train. Ticket office didn’t open until 09:00 so that was a waste of time getting there for 07:00. The queue for tickets is crazy (you’ve got learn how to push and shove in Tanzania or you get nowhere - and forget about personal space). You buy the ticket from the left hand window, you pay at a close by stall/kiosk and you pick up the ticket from the middle window. The right hand window is for Arusha. First class sleeping berth ticket Dar to Tabora was 54,900 TSh ($23.50). This is private occupancy."
Maps
Printed Maps
World Rail Atlas - North, East and Central Africa by Neil Robinson.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure Authority
None
Network Statement
None
Gauge
SGR: Standard Gauge (1435 mm)
TRC: Metre gauge
TAZARA: 1067mm (3ft 6in)
Electrification
None at present. The Standard Gauge Railway will be 25kV AC
Rule of the road
All lines are single track
Distances
No detailed information known
Other Railways
None
Tourist Lines
None known
Metros
None
Trams
None
Recent and Future Changes
Recent Changes
Phase 1 of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro, opened to regular passenger traffic on 14 June 2024.
An inaugural train ran between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma on 25 July 2024. This appears to have marked the opening to regular passenger traffic beyond Morogoro.
Future Changes
The Tanzania Standard Gauge Railway, providing a link to Rwanda and Uganda, is still under construction in parts.
- Phase 2, to Makutopora (beyond Dodoma): scheduled completion was by December 2022, but the present position is unknown.
- Phase 3, Makutupora – Tabora: contract placed but no further information
- Phases 4,5 & 6: No information available, but probably as yet unfunded.
Construction of a line from Uvinza to Musongati in Burundi was officially launched on 16 August 2025.
Lines with Obscure or Sparse passenger services
None known.
