Tazara Railway
| Tanzania–Zambia Railway | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| Status | Minimally operational Near-collapse |
| Termini |
Dar es Salaam Kapiri Mposhi |
| Website | tazarasite.com |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1975 |
| Operator(s) | Tanzania–Zambia Railway Authority |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 1,860 km (1,160 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
The TAZARA Railway, also called the Uhuru Railway or the Tanzam Railway, is a railroad in East Africa linking the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania with the town of Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia's Central Province. The single-track railway is 1,860 km (1,160 mi) long and is operated by the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA).
The governments of Tanzania, Zambia and China built the railway to eliminate landlocked Zambia's economic dependence on Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and South Africa, both of which were ruled by white-minority governments. The railway provided the only route for bulk trade from Zambia's Copperbelt to reach the sea without having to transit white-ruled territories. The spirit of Pan-African socialism among the leaders of Tanzania and Zambia and the symbolism of China's support for newly independent African countries gave rise to TAZARA's designation as the "Great Uhuru Railway", Uhuru being the Swahili word for Freedom.
The project was built from 1970 to 1975 as a turnkey project financed and supported by China. At the time of its completion, two years ahead of schedule, the TAZARA was the single longest railway in sub-Saharan Africa. TAZARA was the largest single foreign-aid project undertaken by China at the time, at a construction cost of US $500 million (the equivalent of US $3.08 billion today)
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