The TAZARA turns 50: Riding the railway that bridges Tanz...

What’s Happening

Not gonna lie, Businesspeople, students, tourists among those sharing space on the 1,860km TAZARA railway built by China in the 1970s.

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Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia — In Dar es Salaam’s train station, hundreds of passengers sat amid piles of luggage as a listless breeze blew through the open windows.

The Details

Shortly before their scheduled 3:50pm departure on the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority’s (TAZARA) Mukuba Express train, an update crackled over the tannoy: the train would be leaving two hours late. A collective groan rippled through the crowd, and under the soaring roof of the station, pigeons darted back and forth, disappearing into holes left from rotted-out ceiling tiles.

But nobody was fr surprised. Given the train’s reputation for unreliable service, the passengers knew a two-hour delay for the TAZARA was practically on time.

Why This Matters

The railway runs from Tanzania’s largest city through the country’s southern highlands and across the border into Zambia’s copper provinces, finally pulling into the town of Kapiri Mposhi some 1,860 kilometres (1,156 miles) away. It’s a journey that, according to official timetables, should take about 40 hours. For regular passengers, it’s a cheap way to reach parts of the country that are not located near main highways.

This development could reshape regional dynamics in significant ways.

The Bottom Line

For foreign tourists, it’s a unique way to see Tanzania’s landscapes far from the bustling cities and overcrowded safari parks, provided they are not in a hurry. A first-class sleeper car all the way to Mbeya, a travel hub and border town just to the east of Zambia, surrounded and coffee farms, is just over $20.

What do you think about all this?