DAR ES SALAAM, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania will send a team of 167 railway professionals to five countries, including China and South Korea, to undergo training in the operation of the much awaited train to run on the standard gauge railway (SGR), an official said on Saturday.
Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC) Executive Director Masanja Kadogosa said the local staff, whose fields range from engineering to operators, were expected to be trained in China, South Korea, Ethiopia, Turkey and India.
Tanzania has chosen the five countries to train local experts due to their experience in running trains, he said.
"Through this collaboration in technology, local experts will be able to cope with the technology to run the SGR system effectively," said Kadogosa.
The first phase of construction of the SGR in the east African country was expected to be completed in November 2019.
Launched by President John Magufuli this year, the standard gauge railway, whose construction was being undertaken by a Turkish firm, Yapi Merkezi, and a Portuguese company, Mota-Engil, was expected to link the port of Dar es salaam with Mwanza and other countries including neighboring Rwanda and Burundi.
"Tanzania has already signed agreements with the five countries to train the railway experts," Kadogosa told a news conference at the ongoing 42nd Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DIFT).
He said the move was aimed at ensuring that local experts were fully equipped and trained to operate the much awaited modern form of railway transport in the country.
Kadogosa said only qualified operators had been selected for the training.
"We have selected a team of experts in communication, logistics, technicians, civil, and electrical engineering including locomotive operators," he said.
According to him, the course duration will be from six months to two years, depending on the type of course.
