TAZARA: Resumption of normal train operations
The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) has announced that the reopening of the mainline, which was temporarily closed on 01 April 2024 due to landslides and formation failures caused by heavy rains in the Mlimba–Makambako area of Tanzania. As a result, normal train operations will resume immediately, with passenger trains planned to run as follows:
- Kilimanjaro Ordinary Passenger Train: The inaugural journey will depart from Mbeya to Dar es Salaam on 25 May at 18:00.
- Udzungwa Shuttle Passenger Train: The first journey will depart from Makambako to Kidatu on 25 May 2024 at 19:00
- Dar es Salaam Commuter Passenger Train: The normal route operations from Dar es Salaam to Mwakanga shall resume on 27 May 2024.
- Kilimanjaro Ordinary Passenger Train (cross-border): The journey will commence from Dar es Salaam to New Kapiri-Mposhi on 28 May 2024 at 13:50
- Mukuba Express Passenger Train (cross-border): The first cross-border journey will depart from New Kapiri-Mposhi to Dar es Salaam on 28 May 2024 at 16:00
- All trains will adhere to their regular schedules thereafter
The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) is a bi-national railway, jointly owned by the Government of Tanzania and the Government of Zambia on an equal share-holding basis. The 1,860 km-rail runs from Tanzania and East Africa’s major seaport of Dar es Salaam into the heart of Zambia's Central Province, terminating at New Kapiri-Mposhi, where it is further linked by road and rail to Zambia's capital city, Lusaka (about 200 km), Zambia's mining nerve centre, the Copperbelt province (about 100 km) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
