15 Sep :The Minister of Railways Shri Lalu Prasad said that Indian Railways will extend all necessary assistance in the operation and management of Railways in Tanzania. This assurance came when the visiting Tanzanian delegation led by its Minister of Infrastructure development Dr. Shukuru J. Kawambwa met Shri Lalu Prasad here today.
Present on the occasion from Indian side were, Chairman, Railway Board, Shri K.C.Jena, Member Mechincal, Shro R.K.Rao, Managing Director, RITES, Shri V.K.Agarwal and Joint Secretary (East & South Africa), Ministry of External Affairs, Shri Ashok Tomar.
Shri Lalu Prasad said that the request of the Government of Tanzania for providing the Indian line of credit on soft terms amounting to US $ 83 million will be considered positively to make Tanzanian Railways a viable entity in long term. The Minister said that RITES, a Public Sector Undertaking of Indian Railways, will continue to extend professional expertise and provide requisite resources to Railways in Tanzania. Both the Ministers have agreed that the management of Railways in Tanzania is part of the Government to Government cooperation and would further strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries in the field of rail transportation.
RITES and Government of Tanzania have set up a Joint Venture, namely ‘Tanzania Railways Ltd’ (TRL), to operate and manage Tanzanian Railways with RITES holding 51 per cent equity and the balance equity being held by the Government of Tanzania. Under this project, the TRL will operate and manage Railways on concession terms for the period 25 years.
It would be worthwhile mentioning that TRL, after taking over the Railways in Tanzania, have restored passenger and freight operations from Tanzanian capital Dar-es-Salam, introduced time-table trains, enhanced traffic movement, and commenced track renewal works. Recently, Indian Railways through RITES has supplied 23 passenger coaches to Tanzania. The Tanzanian Minister appreciated the progress made by TRL so far.
The visiting Tanzanian delegation will visit some important Indian Railways’ facilities including Rail Wheel Factory, Bangalore, and Delhi Metro to understand the Indian capabilities and technological advancements in Railway sector