In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, hundreds of passengers sat among piles of luggage as a listless breeze blew through the open windows of the train station. An update on Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority’s (TAZARA) Mukuba Express train, which was scheduled for 3:50pm, sounded over the tannoy: the train would depart two hours late.
Pigeons scurried back and forth into holes left by rotted-out ceiling tiles as a collective groan echoed through the crowd. However, no one was actually surprised. The passengers were aware that a two-hour delay for the TAZARA was practically on time given the train’s reputation for unreliable service.
The train travels 1,860 kilometers (1, 156 miles) from Tanzania’s largest city to the border to Zambia’s copper provinces before arriving at Kapiri Mposhi, which is located about 1,860 kilometers (1, 156 miles) away. According to official schedules, the journey should take about 40 hours.
It’s a cheap way to travel through areas of the country that aren’t close to major thoroughfares for regular travelers. If foreign visitors aren’t in a rush, it’s a good idea to visit Tanzania’s landscapes, far from the hustled cities and overcrowded safari parks. Just over $20, which includes a first-class sleeper car all the way to Mbeya, a border town and hub for travel just east of Zambia and a lush mountain village and coffee farm, is available.
The railroad celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, but it has struggled the majority of its existence, needing foreign investment for basic maintenance and failing to transport the amount of cargo it was built to support. Its infrastructure and cars have deteriorated over the years due to inconsistent maintenance and limited investment.
Due to the numerous delays and failures that randomly arrange each trip on the TAZARA, it’s difficult to predict where each trip will end. Infrequently, there are simple derailments caused by poorly loaded vehicles and deteriorating tracks, as well as the odd encounter with nature. In August, a passenger train struck an African buffalo while passing through Mwalimu Julius Nyerere National Park in Tanzania.
However, more serious incidents and fatalities have occurred in the TAZARA since the beginning of 2025, highlighting the urgent need to replace both the unsafe infrastructure and poor safety management. Both drivers were killed when two locomotives moving from Zambia to a workshop in Mbeya, where they were being repaired, derailed at a bridge in southern Tanzania in April.
A train derailed in Zambia two months later, and the “rescue train” that was dispatched to assist it struck it. One TAZARA employee was killed in the collision, according to a railroad press release. Ten other employees and 19 passengers were also hurt.
Early in September, passenger service was briefly suspended due to “unexpected operational challenges.” The TAZARA could field’s few remaining locomotives, it turns out, were stuck in Tanzania after one of the hundreds of bridges along the track was destroyed by a fire.
However, thanks to a significant investment by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), which has pledged $1.4 billion to renovate the aging rail line over the next three years, TAZARA is on the verge of significant improvements. Although the agreement mentions continuing passenger service, some pauses in regular service will be required as the project is finished.
Source: Aljazeera
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