TAZARA improvement pays off with enhanced performance

THE Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) has continued to post improvements in both freight and passenger traffic in the first quarter of the 2016/2017 financial year.

According to the statement released by TAZARA board of directors the authority has continued to improve its performance and thus enable profitable operations.

The board of directors, which comprised the Permanent Secretaries responsible for Transport in Tanzania and Zambia and three other Board members from both countries met in Dar es Salaam on November 25, this year to discuss various issues related to TAZARA performance.

The board added that TAZARA has made a significant improvement in transportation of cargo and passengers.

It reads that in the quarter of the year, the authority managed to transport a total of 29,061 metric tonnes of freight, which is an improvement of 9.4 percent compared to same period last year 2015/2016 when a total of 26,572 tonnes were transported. Moreover, the board observed the increase number of passengers who ply for Dar es Salaam and Kapirimposhi.

The number has improved by 20 percent having transported 133,863 passengers during the first quarter of the financial year. In the 2015/2016 the authority transported a total of 111,335 during 2015/2016 Between Makambako and Kidatu in Tanzania, the Udzungwa shuttle train conveyed 78,246 passengers, 58percent above the First Quarter target of 49,500 passengers, compared to the 66,522 mark achieved in the corresponding First Quarter of 2015/2016 Financial Year.

Moreover, the Dar es Salaam Commuter Train has also recorded performance by transporting 751,693 passengers compared to 513,899 passengers in the corresponding last financial year. The performance was 46 percent above the set targets.

The Management reported improvements in most operational indices in freight operations, including overall enhanced and consistent security and safety in train operations as well as an average transit time of 6.3 days and a wagon turn-round time of 24 days between Dar es Salaam and New Kapiri-Mposhi.

The improvements recorded during the period under review were mostly attributed to continued interventions by the two-shareholding Governments through the provision of working capital support, which facilitated an enabling business environment and stability in operations.

The Board commended Management for recording operational surpluses on both the Udzungwa Shuttle and Dar es Salaam Commuter Trains, following the outsourcing of cabin services from the private sector. However, much as the Management reported appreciable strides in restoring positive performance indices, the Board also noted that there were still some operational challenges emanating from tax-related issues at the Port of Dar es Salaam.

The Board noted, nevertheless, that the relevant Authorities were in the process of studying and streamlining some policies with a view to eliminating the perceived bottlenecks and improving the business environment in both countries