TAZARA chief hails concession as "game changer" for railway's revival

DAR ES SALAAM, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The revitalization of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) marks a major turning point in the railway's history, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Bruno Ching'andu said, noting that the concession model is a "game changer" that directly addresses long-standing financing challenges.

The TAZARA railway is undergoing major development under a public-private partnership concession model following the signing of an agreement with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation on Sept. 29, 2025, as it approaches the 50th anniversary of its commercial operations in 2026.

While demand for rail services along the corridor has remained consistently strong, the railway has faced persistent challenges due to limited capital investment in infrastructure, locomotives, wagons, and modern operating systems, Ching'andu said after the recent Land-Linked Zambia Conference and Exhibition, according to a statement issued by TAZARA on Tuesday.

"The concession is a game changer for TAZARA because it tackles the biggest constraint that has held the railway back: capital financing," he added.

The concession model introduces a structured and phased approach to revitalization, Ching'andu said, adding that the initial phase will focus on rehabilitating and strengthening core infrastructure.

He said the concession is expected to significantly boost TAZARA's capacity, improve service reliability, and reinforce its role as a strategic trade corridor linking the Port of Dar es Salaam to Zambia and the broader Southern and Central African region.

The TAZARA railway, a bi-national railway jointly owned by the governments of Tanzania and Zambia, was constructed in the 1970s with support from the Chinese government. Enditem