Tanzania - Project to enhance freight capacity: first reach stacker commissioned
On Friday 23th of April, a new reach stacker was commissioned at the Ilala container depot in Dar es Salaam. This is an important achievement in an infrastructure development project that aims at enhancing the capacity of Inland Container Depots (ICDs) in Tanzania.
Transportation in Tanzania is mainly over road, supplemented by rail. Tanzania's road network, however, presents some challenges. The non-asphalted roads often turn impassable during the rainy seasons and can halt traffic for a considerable time. Tanzania is covered by a railway network of 2,700 km. Belgium has supported the Tanzanian railways through two previous projects from 1998 to 2005, namely the provision and installation of 280 turnouts and the provision of technical assistance. The success of these previous programmes led to a new cooperation with the Tanzanian government for the Inland Container Depots project.
The objective of the project is to reduce the turnaround time of container wagons between loadings, from 13,9 days to 9 days, and hereby contribute to enhancing capacity to domestic transport and transit freight. Moreover, this project will contribute to reducing congestion at the Dar es Salaam port.
The enhancement of rail transportation service is closely tied with the Tanzanian national development programme and the development of the landlocked neighbouring countries of Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. The project will contribute towards providing a better transport route to the Indian Ocean, more reliable and cost effective goods transport from and to these countries, and within mainland Tanzania.
The Belgian government contributes a total of two and a half million Euros to this project, most of which is used for the acquisition of the reach stackers. The Tanzanian government covers most of the costs for the infrastructural works at the container depot. BTC's implementing partner in the project is Reli Assets Holding Company (RAHCO), the infrastructure owner of the Tanzanian railways.
By the end of June 2010, four more reach stackers will be taken into use in this project.
