project between 1970 and 1975 . the project was financed through an interest free loan of rmby 988 million equivalent to us dollars 500 million from the peoples republic of china . it started commercial operations in july 1976 . tazara is an integral part of the southern africa regional rail transport network . it is a rail link of approximately 1 860 km . long rising at sea level from the east african port of dar es salaam in tanzania to new kapiri mposhi at 1400m above sea level in the central african country of zambia . the railroad is designed with a 1067 mm gauge that permits through traffic operations with contiguous railway of southern africa . equipped with adequate facilities tazara has a designed capacity of 5 million tonnes of freight a year . tazara currently handles exports imports of both tanzania and zambia as well as malawi dr congo the great lakes region south africa and zimbabwe . the construction of kidatu transhipment depot has opened and linked new markets of kenya uganda rwanda and burundi . the containerised traffic arriving from south africa as well as imports through dar es salaam port can now be easily transhipped at kidatu by tazara or trc to other destinations in the sadc countries and east & central africa . tanzania zambia railways regional railway network connectionsthe sadc connectiontazara constitutes an important part of the transport network of southern africa development community sadc states as well as the comesa states.tazara also plays a major role in trade within the comesa states . its advantage is that tazara connects easily with comesa member countries in the south with whose railways it shares a common gauge . it also links comesa outside the sadc through its interface with the tanzania railway corporation trc system at kidatu and with the ocean shipping system at dar es salaam port . burund rwanda connectionlandlocked central african nations of of burundi and rwanda in the great lakes region also stand to benefit from tazara services whether their imports are passing through south africa port or dar es salaam . imports can be moved by rail from dar es salaam to kasama zambia where they will be transhipped and moved by trucks to mpulungu port destined to great lakes countries . malawi connectionlandlocked malawi stands to benefit from the tazara corridor as the best option for the country s imports and exports . malawi imports and exports can be moved from the port of dar es salaam to mccl facilities in mbeya and vice versa customer services customer satisfactionbeing an integral part of the sadc and comesa rail network tazara is working hard to ensure customer satisfaction . efficient operations at its huge marshalling yard at yombo station a short distance from dar es salaam port ensure speedy assembling and dispatch of wagons . all information regarding consignment the wagon position etc ; is computerised and customer can be advised of the position of his cargo within seconds by the use of the advance cargo information system acis . tazara offers competitive rates which are open for negotiations leading to rebate and contract rates . tazara also offers customers a special transportation package whereby the importer s and exporter s cargo is customs cleared by our freight clearing & forwarding unit fro transportation up to the point of destination in zimbabwe zambia malawi zaire and tanzania . if you want to travel individually between the african countries you can rent a van that will be comfortable for a such long journey with that way you will be able to see extraordinary place and wonderful people you can hire your cargo van vehicle from vanrental24.com by opting for this package customers would be cutting down drastically on time and money as only customers shall be dealing with only tazara alone . tazara and tha have established a joint operation along with shipping agents to ensure the processing and handling of cargo documentation is streamlined and speeded up . this joint operation also facilitates the fast movement of transit consignments . no demurrage or storage charges are incurred if port and freight charges are paid promptly paid for consignments get fast and exclusive treatment . currently it takes about 3 to 4 days to haul traffic to and from the port of dar es salaam for customers at any point in zambia and vice versa . tazara management is continuing to work closely with the port authorities in dar es salaam to further improve the transit time to at least 3 days.being an integral part of the sadc and comesa rail network tazara is working hard to ensure customer satisfaction . efficient operations at its huge marshalling yard at yombo station a short distance from dar es salaam port ensure speedy assembling and dispatch of wagons . all information regarding consignment the wagon position etc ; is computerised and customer can be advised of the position of his cargo within seconds by the use of the advance cargo information system acis . tazara offers competitive rates which are open for negotiations leading to rebate and contract rates . tazara also offers customers a special transportation package whereby the importer s and exporter s cargo is customs cleared by our freight clearing & forwarding unit fro transportation up to the point of destination in zimbabwe zambia malawi zaire and tanzania . by opting for this package customers would be cutting down drastically on time and money as only customers shall be dealing with only tazara alone . tazara and tha have established a joint operation along with shipping agents to ensure the processing and handling of cargo documentation is streamlined and speeded up . this joint operation also facilitates the fast movement of transit consignments . no demurrage or storage charges are incurred if port and freight charges are paid promptly paid for consignments get fast and exclusive treatment . currently it takes about 3 to 4 days to haul traffic to and from the port of dar es salaam for customers at any point in zambia and vice versa . tazara management is continuing to work closely with the port authorities in dar es salaam to further improve the transit time to at least 3 days . route map tazara.co.tz 2012 tazara