Usambara Railway

Last updated
Usambara Railway
Overview
Locale German East Africa
Website www.mwtc.go.tz
Technical
Line length350.5 km (217.8 mi)
+ 86.1 km (53.5 mi)
Track gauge 1 Meter
Minimum radius 150  m
Maximum incline 2.5   %
Route map

Contents

BSicon KBHFa.svg
Hafen
BSicon BHF.svg
0.0
Tanga
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1.7
Golfu Halt
BSicon DST.svg
6.8
Kange Siding
BSicon DST.svg
10.6
Maweni Siding
BSicon BHF.svg
14.1
Pongwe
BSicon BHF.svg
15.3
Pongwe Halt
BSicon BHF.svg
24.8
Ngomeni
BSicon BHF.svg
28.7
Mkanyageni Halt
BSicon BHF.svg
Reder’s Halt
BSicon BHF.svg
35.9
Lusange
BSicon BHF.svg
39.7
Muheza
BSicon BS2l.svg
BSicon BS2c3.svg
BSicon exKBHFa.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
44.3
Tengeni
ex: Sigi-Bahn (750 mm)
BSicon exSTRr.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon BS2+l.svg
BSicon BS2c4.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
50.0
Mambo Leo Halt
BSicon BHF.svg
55.2
Kihuhwi
BSicon BHF.svg
58.3
Zannetiberg Halt
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
to Ruvu and Dar es Salaam
BSicon DST.svg
65.0
Murasi Junction
BSicon BHF.svg
69.1
Mnyusi
BSicon DST.svg
74.8
Magunga Siding
BSicon BHF.svg
81.3
Luengera Halt
BSicon BHF.svg
84.0
Korogwe
BSicon hKRZWae.svg
Pangani
BSicon BHF.svg
87.3
Manundu Halt
BSicon BHF.svg
91.1
Ngombezi
BSicon BHF.svg
96.9
Maurui
BSicon BHF.svg
113.3
Makuyuni
BSicon DST.svg
127.6
Mombo Quarry Siding
ex Bus n. Lushoto
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140.8
Mazinde
BSicon BHF.svg
147.4
Mkumbara
BSicon BHF.svg
166.9
Mkomazi
BSicon BHF.svg
178.6
Mikocheni Halt
BSicon BHF.svg
189.7
Mabirioni
BSicon BHF.svg
198.1
Hedaru
BSicon BHF.svg
217.5
Mkanya
BSicon BHF.svg
252.1
Same
BSicon DST.svg
243.4
Moshi Trading Company Siding
BSicon STR.svg
283
Höchster Punkt der Strecke
1003m
BSicon BHF.svg
290.4
Lembeni
BSicon BHF.svg
296.8
Kisangara Halt
BSicon BHF.svg
306.2
Mbuyuni Halt
BSicon BHF.svg
310.4
Kisangiro
BSicon BHF.svg
321.9
Tingatinga Halt
BSicon BHF.svg
330.9
Kahe Junction
BSicon ABZgr.svg
nach Voi. Kenya
BSicon ABZg+r.svg
von Voi. Kenya
BSicon BS2+l.svg
BSicon BS2c4.svg
BSicon eABZgl+l.svg
BSicon exSTR+r.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
341.1
Rau River Halt
BSicon KBHFe.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
0.0
350.5
Moshi
BSicon exBS2+l.svg
BSicon exBS2c4.svg
BSicon exBHF.svg
21.6
Rundugai Halt
BSicon exBHF.svg
31.7
Kikuletwa
BSicon exBHF.svg
62.3
Usa River
BSicon exBHF.svg
65.2
Tengeru Halt
BSicon exDST.svg
77.3
Tanganyika Packers Siding
BSicon exDST.svg
82.3
Themi states Siding
BSicon exKBHFe.svg
86.1
Arusha

The Usambara Railway (German : Usambarabahn) was the first railway to be built in German East Africa and what is today Tanzania.

History

German East-Africa

A railway company was created in 1891 with the aim of connecting the port of Tanga at the Indian Ocean with Lake Victoria by passing south of the Usambara Mountains. A 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+38 in) gauge was chosen. From June 1893 the line advanced inland from Tanga. Due to undercapitalization, the company had to be taken over by the state in 1899. Thereafter the line was run by the Ostafrikanische Eisenbahngesellschaft (East African Railway Cooperation), a company which had been created to build and operate the Tanganyika Central Line (Zentralbahn) from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma. Between Pongwe and Ngommi on the Usambara Railway there was a double hairpin turn. Around 1910, a cable spur (the Seilbahn) was constructed to connect the line with the sawmills at Neu-Hornow.[ citation needed ] One of the civil engineers working on the line was Erwin Böhme. [1]

Usambara Railway tracks Usambara Railway tracks.jpg
Usambara Railway tracks

On 26 September 1911, the track reached Moshi at Mount Kilimanjaro by 351.4 km (218.3 mi). Traffic on the entire line commenced on 4 October 1911; the official inauguration took place on 7 February 1912. In 1914, a train ran daily from Tanga to Buiko and back, and twice a week, the service continued to and from Moshi. The entire trip took 14 hours and 40 minutes.

From the Tengeni station to the town of Sigi, there was a branch-line of 23.3 km (14.5 mi) constructed with a 750 mm (2 ft 5+12 in) gauge, possessing four switchbacks on its course.

From 4 June 1912 to 12 May 1913, the line was renamed Nordbahn (Northern Railway) for a short period. The extension to Arusha was already planned and capital was provided, but was not built due to the start of World War I.

British Mandate

The British mandate, which took over Tanganyika from the Germans, connected the Usambara Railway between Moshi and Voi with the Uganda Railway in Kenya and extended it 1929 to its current termination point Arusha.

Tanzania

Shortly after the country (it was still then Tanganyika) became independent, the Tanganyika Central Line and the Usambara Railway were connected between Mruazi and Ruvu; the new section was in use in 1964. During the East African Community era, which covered Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika/Tanzania, the Usambara Railway belonged to East African Railways (EAR). This community was dissolved in 1977, and the Usambara Railway became part of the Tanzania Railways Corporation.

Service

Under German rule in 1913, the Usambara Railway operated 18 locomotives, 31 carriages and 199 trucks with 562 employees (of which 35 were Europeans).

After construction of the connection to Voi, traffic between Arusha, Moshi and the coast was directed to the port of Mombasa, and the eastern part of the Usambara Railway was reduced to a local service. Passenger traffic was handled with four DMUs during this time. Passenger trains operated on this line up to the 1990s.

In 2018, the Government of Tanzania invested 5.7 billion Tanzanian shillings to rehabilitate the line. As of July 2019, diesel powered cargo trains are leaving Tanga Railway Station again. [2] Passenger transport between Tanga and Arusha was planned to start in September 2019, but has not been commenced yet.

See also

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References

  1. Translated excerpt
  2. "Why Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda are falling back to old railway". The Citizen. Retrieved 29 July 2019.

Bibliography

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