- The project will involve the construction of approximately 282km of electrified Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line.
- Tanzania hopes to surpass its regional rivals by offering the most effective commercial trade- routes in the region.
In an effort to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the largest single market in the world, and build the continent's second multinational electrified railway, Tanzania and Burundi have put out a request for proposals for the design and construction of an electrified railway that will initially connect the two nations and pass through the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
East Africa's cross-border electric railway line plans are upping the competition for cargo business in the region and helping the region tap a US$3 trillion single market opportunity.
Approximately 282km of electrified Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line will be constructed from Uvinza in Tanzania (off the Tabora - Kigoma SGR line), across the international border along Malagarasi river to Musongati and onwards to Gitega, both in Burundi.
"The two Governments of Tanzania and Burundi have entered into a bilateral agreement to implement this multinational project as a single project within Tanzania and Burundi territories," according to the tender document.
The timeline for the completion of the project is 5 years. When finished, it will become the second cross-border electrified rail in Africa after Ethiopia and Djibouti opened the first entirely electric international railway line in the continent in 2016.
The governments of Tanzania and Burundi have requested funds for construction from the African Development Bank, according to the bidding document for the Tanzania-Burundi line.
Tanzania has recently started an aggressive campaign to upgrade its aging regional rail networks in order to boost cross-border trade.
The East African nation signed a $2.2 billion agreement with China in December 2022 that will result in a 2,561-kilometer-long SGR network connecting the port city of Dar es Salaam to landlocked nations such the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda.
By offering the most effective commercial routes in the region, Tanzania hopes to surpass its regional rivals, especially Kenya, the largest economy in East Africa.
"Upon completion of the SGR, Tanzania will be in a better position to utilize its strategic geographical positioning to facilitate cross-border trade," Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan once stated.