Tanzania’s transport sector grew at a rate of 30.6% in Q2 2016 reaching TZS743b, compared to TZS569b in Q2 2015 with a growth rate of 9.4%.
The results were included in a report recently issued by the Tanzanian National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), covering the country’s GDP performances Q2 2016 GDP.
NBS attributes the growth to a rise in the number of passengers and cargo transported by road and rail, as well as increased transportation of natural gas via pipelines.
The report indicates that natural gas transported via pipelines in Tanzania rose by 45%, from 7,793m standard cubic feet (MMSCF) in Q2 2015 to 11,267 MMSCF in Q2 2016.
This follows the inauguration of the 532km long Mtwara-Dar es Salaam natural gas pipeline in October 2015, which has a capacity to transport up to 210m cubic feet per day (MMCFD).
Furthermore, the number of road passengers in Tanzania rose by 32%, from 8,750 in Q2 2015 to 11,546 in Q2 2016.
Tanzania’s rail passengers went up by 77% during the period, from 335,000 in 2015 to 594,000 in 2016.
The government of Tanzania is currently expanding the country’s rail network with the construction of the country’s standard gauge railway along the central corridor to start during the 2016–2017 fiscal year, according to the Government of Tanzania.