Tanzania Railways Corporation
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The Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) is a state-owned enterprise that runs a railway net that once was part of the East African Railways Corporation (EARC) operating in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika. Together with the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority the TRC provides the rail service for Tanzania.
TRC's gauge is 1.000m and the total length is about 2,600 km. Two east-west lines from the coast to the hinterland were initiated when the country was under colonial rule as German East Africa. The Central Line runs from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma, and the Tanga Line from Tanga to Arusha. A north-south connection links both lines. The mainline has further branches, one to Lake Victoria where through wagon ferries a connection exists to the Uganda Railway. From the Tanga line a now defunct connection goes north to Kenya that was in operation during the time of the EARC.
There is a break-of-gauge at Dar es Salaam to the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) that at 1.067m links to Zambia. A second link between these two lines is planned at Kidatu.
281 people died in the Igandu train disaster on June 24, 2002, the largest train disaster in Africa.
[edit] Privatisation
The Rites Consortium of India won the bid awarded by the Parastatal Sector Reform Commission (PSRC), to operate passenger and freight services on a concession basis for 25 years.
