South Korean conglomerate Hyundai Rotem announced on 6th July 2021 that it received the Notification of Award of Tender from the Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) for the supply 80 electric trains and 17 electric locomotives for use on the standard gauge railway (SGR) currently under construction.
The electric trains are worth KRW 215.7 billion and the electric locomotives are worth KRW 119.7 billion, for a total of KRW 335.4 billion (USD 292 million) and are expected to be delivered by 2024.
They are the first eco-friendly electric trains operating in Tanzania, where diesel trains have been operated, and will be used on the line connecting Dar es Salaam and Makutopora, part of the SGR project.
Hyundai Rotem explains in its press release that the performance of the products optimized for African markets such as Egypt, Tunisia and Nigeria, stable delivery results, and outstanding business management capabilities acted as positive factors in winning this order.
Based on the results of this order, Hyundai Rotem plans to actively participate in the Tanzanian railway market. In particular, as the SGR project will be carried out in five stages, Hyundai Rotem expects to win additional orders.
Tanzanian Standard Gauge Railway Project
The government of Tanzania is currently expanding the country’s rail network with the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) along the central corridor.
The railway project total length is 1,219 km and will link Tanzania to the neighboring countries of Rwanda and Uganda, and through these two, to Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).