Tazara Records Increased Revenue

By Kalata News,

Lusaka – The Tanzania-Zambia Railway authority has posted a marginal increase in the revenue collected but saw a decline in the passengers and haulage traffic in the financial year 2022/2023.

In a Board Communique signed by Tazara Company Secretary, Marco Mabala, the company posted a 10 percentage point increase in the revenue resulting from operations of the company.

“The growth in revenue was primarily driven by a surge in the traffic average haul, a development that followed the reopening of the Chambeshi Bridge in September 2022.

During the FY 2022/2023, the revenue amounted to US$26.78 million, marking a notable increase from the US$24.280 million earned in the prior FY 2021/2022,” states the Communique.

During the year, the total freight volumes moved on the TAZARA line is said to have dropped by 3.7% from 337,475 metric tons in the previous year to 324,903 metric tons in year 2023.

In the realm of passenger traffic, the cumulative count of travelers across the various types of passenger trains witnessed a 1% decrease, with the figure dropping to 2,710,104 passengers during the fiscal year 2022/2023, compared to the 2,738,452 passengers

documented in the preceding fiscal year.

The primary limitation confronting passenger services remained the constrained availability of train coaches.

However, the volume of interstate passengers traveling between Tanzania and Zambia increased by 14%, escalating from 469,551 passengers last year to 534,603 passengers in 2023, surpassing the target by 7%.

The Tazara Board is comprised of members from both Zambia and Tanzania and these are Fredrick Mwalusaka, Godius W. Kahyarara, the Permanent Secretaries responsible for Transport in Zambia and Tanzania, sitting as Chairperson and Co-Chairperson, respectively, and Prof. Razack Lokina, Mrs. Rukia Shamte and Mrs. Irene Mwamba Lumbwe.

“This substantial growth was attributed to the reopening of the Chambeshi Bridge and a concurrent rise in bus fares. The Udzungwa Shuttle, which operates between Kidatu and Makambako in Tanzania, experienced a 2.2% growth in passenger numbers, with figures rising from 351,826 passengers in the preceding fiscal year to 359,564 passengers in the period ending on June 30, 2023,” says the Board Communique.

The Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), is a bi-national railway established in 1975. It links the Southern Africa Regional transport network to Eastern Africa’s seaport of Dar es Salaam, offering both freight and passenger transportation services between and within Tanzania and Zambia.