Tanzania and Burundi broke ground on a long-promised cross-border railway linking East Africa’s landlocked regions to the port of Dar es Salaam.
The $2.15 billion 282-kilometer (175-mile) electrified line is a key leg of the “Central Corridor” project that has been on the cards for over a decade. It is expected to slash four-day truck journeys by road to just one day by 2030, when the line is scheduled for completion. The new line is being built by the China Railway Group.
Burundi President Évariste Ndayishimiye described the project as central to his country’s economic future, especially its mining sector. Burundi holds reserves of gold, tantalum, tin, and rare earths, but exporting them efficiently has been a challenge.
East African governments have been pushing for an integrated rail network spanning the region, linking Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway to Tanzania’s system.