The Railways of Tanzania

[rogerfarnworth]

This thread is meant to cover all the railways of Tanzania, starting with the old metre-gauge lines.

Over recent years, I have reported events relating to the railways of Kenya and Uganda but have singularly failed to do so in relation to the railway network in Tanzania. This has probably been because of an abiding interest in the railways associated with what is now referred to as the Northern Corridor (when referring to the Standard Gauge Railway network).

It is time to rectify this situation. …

First, a look at the history of the various lines in Tanzania.

The linked article focusses on the history of the Usambara Railway (Usambarabahn) in the north of Tanzania.

Railways of Tanzania – Part 1 – The History of the Usambara Railway

Over recent years, I have reported events relating to the railways of Kenya and Uganda but have singularly failed to do so in relation to the railway network in Tanzania. This has probably been bec…

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== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 16 Apr 2026 ==

Part 2 - The Route of the Usambarabahn

The Route of the Usambara Railway – Tanga to Moshi
In 2018, the Government of Tanzania invested 5.7 billion Tanzanian shillings to rehabilitate the line. As of July 2019, diesel powered cargo trains were leaving Tanga Railway Station again. Passenger transport between Tanga and Arusha was planned to start in September 2019, but has not been commenced as yet. [6]

The line has its terminus in the Port of Tanga. It leaves the Port of Tanga (Hafen von Tanga) to run towards Tanga station and from there on to Moshi.

Railways of Tanzania – Part 2 – The Route of the Usambara Railway – Tanga to Moshi

NB: Given the way in which some of the images in this article have been displayed, this article is best read/viewed on a laptop or desktop computer rather than a mobile phone. If you need to read i…

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== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Apr 2026 ==

Part 3 - The Railway Line from Voi to Kahe

The majority of this line was in Kenya, built to support the war effort in the First World War.

Railways of Tanzania – Part 3 – Voi, Kenya to Kahe and Moshi, Tanzania

At the Kenyan end of this line it formed a junction with the Mombasa to Nairobi line at Voi. Two articles on this blog feature Voi. The first looks at the line traveling from the coast to Voi and p…

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[rogerfarnworth]

Part 4 – Moshi to Arusha​

The featured image in the linked post is a photograph of East African Railways (EAR) 29 class steam locomotive no. 2904 at Moshi depot, Tanzania, © Basil Roberts and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 4.0).

The Moshi-Arusha railway line is a 86 km extension of the Usambara Railway (Usambarabahn) in northern Tanzania, It was initially built between 1911 and 1929 and rehabilitated in 2018–2019, the metre-gauge line connects the Northern zone to the port of Tanga, and mainly serves as a freight corridor for agriculture and industrial goods.

Railways of Tanzania – Part 4 – Moshi to Arusha

The featured image for this article is a photograph of East African Railways (EAR) Class 29 steam locomotive no. 2904 at Moshi depot, Tanzania, © Basil Roberts and licenced for reuse under a Creati…

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== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Apr 2026 ==

A number of different articles are under preparation, this is the next completed article:

Part 9 – Narrow-Gauge Industrial Lines

The featured image for this article shows a train on the Kihuhui Bridge on the Sigi Railway in Tanganyika.

Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania) possessed a dense network of industrial narrow-gauge railways, primarily developed during the German colonial era (German East Africa) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to support plantation agriculture and forestry. While the main lines (Central Line and Usambara Railway) were built to 1,000 mm (metre) gauge, industrial, plantation, and forestry lines often used 600 mm (1 ft 11 5⁄8 in) or 750 mm (2 ft 5 1⁄2 in) gauge.

Following World War I, the British administration deemed many of the 600 mm “light railways” to be economically inefficient compared to the, at the time, more efficient 1,000 mm metre-gauge lines, leading to a shift away from developing these smaller lines.

Early Industrial Narrow Gauge lines included: the Sigi Railway; and the Sisal Plantation Railways. Later industrial lines included: the Southern Province Railway, the Port of Bujumbura Railway, and Narrow Gauge Railways near Moshi.

Railways of Tanzania – Part 9 – Narrow-Gauge Industrial Lines

The featured image for this article shows a train on the Kihuhui Bridge on the Sigi Railway in Tanganyika. [3] Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania) possessed a dense network of industrial narrow-gauge…

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[rogerfarnworth]

Part 10 – The Mkumbara to Neu Hornow Cableway/Ropeway, Usambara Hills, German East Africa/Tanganyika

The western Usambara Hills were characterised by precipitous cliffs and deep gorges. The provision of a rail link between Mkumbara and Neu Hornow was not considered practical.

A 9 km long ropeway was constructed, under the ownership of “the firm of Wilkens and Wiese, and designed to carry cedar from the Shume plateau to the railway, an enterprise that was never an economic success. The longest span of the ropeway, 907 metres, was said to be the longest in the world when it was built in the years 1910-1911.” [1: p75] Wood was transported via the Goatal/Ngoha Valley in the Schumewald/Shume Forest. [2]

Tanzania Railways – Part 10 – The Mkumbara to Neu Hornow Cableway/Ropeway, Usambara Hills, German East Africa/Tanganyika.

The western Usambara Hills were characterised by precipitous cliffs and deep gorges. The provision of a rail link between Mkumbara and Neu Hornow was not considered practical. A 9 km long ropeway w…

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Part 5 – Tanga to Ruvu (and thence to Dar-es-Salaam)​

This is the fifth article about the Railways of Tanzania.

Railways of Tanzania – Part 5 – Tanga to Ruvu (and thence to Dar-es-Salaam)

This is the fifth article about the Railways of Tanzania, and there will be more to come. The featured image for this article is an EAR Class 30 locomotive No. 3019 ‘Nyamwezi’ at Tabora…

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Part 6 – The British Mandate and the Trust – The Years of British Rule including the approach of World War II​

The civil administration after the first world war was set up in Wilhelmstal in the Usambara hills. Wilhlemstal was renamed Lushoto. The location was inconvenient to say the least. “Lushoto was far from the Central Railway, communications were slow and irregular, and supervision of the outlying districts was necessarily sketchy. The sailings of ships between Tanga and Dar es Salaam were so haphazard that it often took six or seven weeks for the civil administration at Lushoto to receive a reply by letter from the military authorities in Dar es Salaam.” [1: p174]

Hill tells us that, “The Administrator had only accepted the extended responsibilities delimited by the Proclamation of 21st January 1918 [and additional areas included on 1st March 1918] on the understanding that the military authorities would release suitable accommodation in Dar es Salaam to the civil government. This agreement was not kept, and the civil administration remained at Lushoto until 12th February 1919, when its headquarters was transferred to Dar es Salaam. On 1st October 1918, the civil administration became responsible for the town of Dar es Salaam, and on 1st January 1919, for the districts of Lindi and Songea. On 31st January 1919, a Royal Commission appointed Sir Horace Byatt to be administrator of that part of German East Africa which was occupied by His Majesty’s Forces.” [1: p174]

Railways of Tanzania – Part 6 – The British Mandate and the Trust – The Years of British Rule including the approach of World War II

The featured image for this article is a photograph of the first ,’corridor’ mail train leaving Dar es Salaam in 1922. The locomotive is No. 1098 ex NGSR of India (later a TR NZ Class L…

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[rogerfarnworth]

Railways of Tanzania – Part 7 – The Central Line – An Introductory History and the Length of Line from Dar-es-Salaam to Mikese

The featured image for this article is a photograph of East African Railways (EAR) Class 30 steam locomotive No. 3019 ‘Nyamwezi’ at Tabora depot on the Central Line, Tanzania in 1968. Class 30 locomotives were oil-burning 2-8-4 steam locomotives. Built in the 1950s by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow, the 26 engines in the Class were named after indigenous tribes across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika (now Tanzania). They were known as the ‘Tribal Class’ of locomotives, (c) Basil Roberts and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 4.0). [44]

The line from Dar-es-Salaam to Kigoma. was known during the German Protectorate as the Mittelland Bahn. Under British colonial control it was the Central Line.

Railways of Tanzania – Part 7 – The Central Line – An Introductory History and the Length of Line from Dar-es-Salaam to Mikese

The featured image for this article is a photograph of East African Railways (EAR) Class 30 steam locomotive No. 3019 ‘Nyamwezi’ at Tabora depot on the Central Line, Tanzania in 1968. C…

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