DAR ES SALAAM, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) has made its concession model central to efforts to expand rail capacity and improve efficiency along the Central Corridor, the railway operator said in a statement on Friday.
TAZARA Managing Director Bruno Ching'andu said the concession agreement with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) is expected to unlock investment, enhance operational efficiency, and significantly increase freight capacity, according to the statement.
Ching'andu said the public-private partnership model would support infrastructure rehabilitation, modernize rolling stock, and improve service reliability, while open-access arrangements would allow participation by other private operators.
He noted that the approach would enable the railway to transport more bulk cargo at lower cost, easing pressure on roads and improving the flow of goods between the Dar es Salaam port and inland markets.
The Central Corridor, which serves six countries -- Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia -- is a key trade route in the region, said the statement.
According to TAZARA, the concession model marks a shift toward a partnership-driven system aimed at strengthening trade efficiency, reducing logistics costs, and supporting regional economic integration.
The revival of TAZARA is centered on a major public-private partnership concession aimed at restoring the aging railway's efficiency, capacity, and financial sustainability.
At the core of the plan is a roughly 1.4-billion-U.S.-dollar investment agreement with CCECC, signed in 2025 by Tanzania, Zambia, and China.
The deal grants CCECC 30 years to rehabilitate, operate, and maintain the 1,860-km railway linking the Dar es Salaam port to Zambia's inland network.
The TAZARA railway, known as the "Uhuru Railway" or "Independent Railway," was constructed as a turnkey project between 1970 and 1975 through an interest-free loan from China, with commercial operations starting in July 1976, covering 1,860 km from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to New Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia. ■