Mbarawa pushes for faster SGR construction

TABORA: TRANSPORT Minister, Professor Makame Mbarawa has called for faster construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) on the Makutopora–Tabora and Tabora–Isaka sections, saying 3.67tri/- is available for the project.

Prof Mbarawa made the call over the weekend on the first day of his inspection tour to assess progress on the railway project. He said measures had been taken to improve the contractor’s work plan and accelerate implementation.

“Construction activities have been divided into five smaller sections to improve supervision and efficiency, with the aim of ensuring that work progresses at the expected pace,” he said.

Prof Mbarawa also said One Group, which had been responsible for constructing 100 kilometres of the railway, was now handling 45 kilometres, while other contractors had been assigned the remaining sections.

“There is no problem with funding. The main challenge was the contractor’s own planning, because funds may be available, but payments cannot be secured if sufficient Interim Payment Certificates (IPCs) are not generated,” Prof Mbarawa said.

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Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) Director General, Engineer Machibya Shiwa, said the corporation was continuing to supervise contractors to ensure they accelerated construction and fulfilled their responsibilities in accordance with established plans.

“The contractor had divided the section into five main construction areas, while TRC had instructed the contractor to submit a work plan detailing daily activities, including bridge construction and railway embankment works,” he said.

Eng Shiwa said the measures were part of efforts to strengthen project supervision and ensure that construction activities were implemented systematically, allowing progress to be monitored effectively.

He said the expectation was that by 2028, construction of the SGR sections would be in the final stages of completion, bringing the country closer to its goal of providing modern railway transport services between Dar es Salaam and Mwanza.

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