Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority

What Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority does

The Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) is a bi-national statutory railway authority jointly owned by the Governments of Tanzania and Zambia on an equal basis, established in 1968 and operating commercially since 14 July 1976. It runs a 1,860-kilometre, 1,067 mm-capillary-gauge railway linking the Port of Dar es Salaam to New Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia, with connectivity through to SADC and COMESA regional networks (South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique, DRC). Core operations comprise freight services (through-traffic, local traffic, block and mixed trains; designed capacity 5 million tonnes per annum), passenger services (the Mukuba Express, Ordinary trains, Special trains including tourist services, and a Dar es Salaam commuter service carrying ~9,000 passengers daily), and supporting engineering workshops, construction units, quarries (Mununga, Kongolo), and the TAZARA Training Centre in Mpika, Zambia.

Revenue is generated through tariffs published in the TAZARA Tariff Book (last revision 2012), passenger ticket sales across First, Second, Super Seater, and Third classes, training fees, quarry product sales, and third-party engineering services. Pricing and operations are governed by the TAZARA Act and the 1993 Bilateral Agreement. Customer segments are anchored by the Zambia Copperbelt mining sector for freight (mineral ores, refined copper, manganese, cobalt), with secondary segments in agriculture, regional importers/exporters, and tourism operators (Rovos Rail, Shongololo). Distribution is direct: station-based ticket offices across Tanzania and Zambia, email/phone reservations, and a fixed weekly schedule (Mukuba Express departing each terminus twice weekly).

TAZARA is currently undergoing a major operational transformation via a $1.4 billion Public-Private Partnership Concession Agreement signed on 29 September 2025 with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), under which CCECC will rehabilitate core infrastructure (track, bridges, signalling, workshops) and supply new and refurbished locomotives and wagons in a phased modernization programme. Government ownership remains unchanged, while operational management is transitioning to CCECC.

Name

Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority

Legal name

Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority

Website

https://tazarasite.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) is a bi-national, jointly government-owned railway operating an 1,860 km, 1,067 mm-gauge line linking the Port of Dar es Salaam to New Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia, providing freight, passenger, and ancillary services across the SADC and COMESA regions and currently undergoing a $1.4 billion PPP concession-led revitalization with CCECC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rail Transportation Services

NAICS

Rail Transportation (4821), Support Activities for Rail Transportation (4882)

SIC

Railroad Switching & Terminal Establishments (4013), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Intermodal Terminal Value-Added Services (Cross-Dock, Transload, Stuffing/Stripping) (TLAJAFAL)

Keywords

• Rail freight transport
• Passenger rail services
• Cross-border logistics
• Railway maintenance services
• Rolling stock operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Dar Es Salaam

HQ country

Tanzania

HQ region

Africa

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Passenger Transportation: TAZARA operates three types of passenger trains (Express, Ordinary, and Special Trains) including the Mukuba Express between New Kapiri Mposhi and Dar es Salaam. Revenue is generated through ticket sales across different class tiers (First Class, Second Class, Super Seater, Third Class). The journey takes approximately 46 hours between Dar es Salaam and New Kapiri Mposhi.
2. Freight Transportation: Through traffic trains convey cargo between Dar es Salaam and New Kapiri Mposhi. Local traffic trains convey intermediate cargo. TAZARA provides block train services and mixed train services. Designed capacity is 5 million tonnes of freight per annum.
3. Tariffs and Charges: TAZARA determines and levies rates, fares and other charges for services performed and use of facilities as per the TAZARA Act. All charges are published in the Tariff Book.
4. Training Services: TAZARA Training Centre (TTC) in Mpika provides railway-specific training for locomotive drivers, station masters, guards, and various railway operations staff. Also offers management and vocational courses in partnership with ZICA, ABMA, and TEVETA.
5. Quarry Products: Two quarries (Mununga in Mpika, Zambia and Kongolo in Mbeya, Tanzania) produce ballast and aggregate by-products for sale to the public.
6. Engineering Workshop Services: TAZARA operates three engineering workshops providing steel casting, forging, machining, heat treatment, and maintenance/repair services for locomotives, wagons, and coaches, including external engineering works.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

TAZARA operates a 1,860-kilometre bi-national railway linking the Port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to New Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia. It provides freight rail transportation (through traffic, local traffic, block, and mixed trains), passenger services (Express/Mukuba Express, Ordinary, Special, and Dar es Salaam Commuter trains), and supporting infrastructure services including engineering workshops, quarries producing ballast and aggregates, construction units, the TAZARA Training Centre, and modern cargo terminus facilities with gantry cranes.

Product overview

The Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) operates a 1,860-kilometre bi-national railway linking the Port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to New Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia, with onward connections to COMESA and SADC markets. The company offers an integrated suite of rail transport services comprising freight services (through traffic, local traffic, block and mixed trains), passenger services (Express/Mukuba Express, Ordinary, and Special/Commuter trains including Dar es Salaam Commuter), supported by engineering workshops, construction units, quarries (Mununga and Kongolo), and the TAZARA Training Centre. Modern cargo terminus facilities with gantry cranes at major stations enable efficient freight handling across regions. TAZARA operates on 1,067mm gauge track and is undergoing major transformation through a PPP concession with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation signed in September 2025, representing a $1.4 billion revitalisation program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Freight Services
• Passenger Services
• Mukuba Express Train
• Dar es Salaam Commuter Train
• Engineering Workshops
• Construction Units
• Quarries
• TAZARA Training Centre (TTC)
• Cargo Terminus Facilities

Quantifiable outcome

• 5 million tonnes annual freight capacity
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 September 2025CCECC signed a Concession Agreement with TAZARA on 29 September 2025 for a PPP concession model. The first phase focuses on rehabilitating and strengthening core infrastructure including track, bridges, signalling systems, workshops, and key operating facilities. This will be followed by introduction of new and refurbished locomotives and wagons with modern maintenance systems. The concession addresses the railway's capital financing challenges.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• TransNamib Holdings: Namibia's state-owned rail and logistics operator running the Walvis Bay corridor — the principal competing route for Zambian and DRC mineral exports to the Atlantic. Directly comparable to TAZARA as a port-to-hinterland rail operator serving landlocked SADC economies.

Broad incumbents

• Grindrod Limited: South Africa-listed integrated logistics group with rail operations (including intermodal terminals and freight forwarding) across Southern Africa. Comparable in serving bulk-commodity customers along SADC corridors and in operating terminal infrastructure tied to port-hinterland flows.
• Transnet Freight Rail: Largest freight rail operator in Africa, part of South Africa's Transnet SOC. Operates the Cape gauge network reaching Botswana, Zimbabwe and connecting into the SADC system — comparable to TAZARA in gauge and freight mix, but with vastly greater scale and a broader commodity portfolio.

Emerging players

• Ethiopian Railway Enterprise: State-owned operator of Ethiopia's newly built standard-gauge national rail network (Addis Ababa–Djibouti). Comparable as a recently commissioned African national railway connecting a landlocked economy to a seaport, though younger and operating standard gauge.
• Kenya Railway Corporation: Kenya's national railway operator managing the newly built Standard Gauge Railway (Mombasa–Nairobi) and the older meter-gauge network. Comparable as an East African national rail with port-connectivity mandate, though operating newer infrastructure and on a different gauge.

Direct peers

• Zambia Railways Limited: National rail operator of Zambia that interchanges directly with TAZARA at Kapiri Mposhi. Same 1,067 mm Cape gauge, overlapping freight (mining, agriculture), and is the natural downstream carrier for TAZARA's cross-border traffic into Zambia's interior.
• Botswana Railways: Botswana's national Cape-gauge railway providing interline freight services connecting into the TAZARA-Spoornet regional network. Comparable freight mix (minerals, general cargo) and gauge interoperability makes it a direct regional peer.
• National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ): Zimbabwe's national railway operating on Cape gauge with interline connectivity to TAZARA via Zambia. Competes for similar bulk mineral and agricultural freight in the Southern African hinterland and serves overlapping SADC trade lanes.
• Tanzania Railways Limited: Tanzania's domestic railway, connecting with TAZARA via the Kidatu gauge-conversion trans-shipment facility. Operates the same corridor to Dar es Salaam port but on a different gauge, making it both a partner (for onward Tanzanian freight) and a competitor (for domestic Tanzanian traffic).
• CFM Mozambique (Portos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique): National rail and port operator of Mozambique operating the Beira and Nacala corridors that compete with TAZARA for Zambian, Zimbabwean and Malawian mineral and general freight to alternative Indian Ocean ports. Comparable Cape gauge and bulk-commodity customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/tazarahq
• Facebookfacebook.com/tazarasite
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tazara

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority