Find Transport expertise in United Republic of Tanzania

Improving transport infrastructure, consisting of roads, railways, airports and waterways, is a high government priority. 

In 2008 there were 3,689 km of railways in the country. Tanzanian railways are run by two operators, Tanzania Railways Ltd (TRL) and the Tanzania Railway Authority (TAZARA) which offer both passenger and freight services. The country’s rail links run from Dar es Salaam, the most important port, with the interior to the west and north, and, from Dar es Salaam to Zambia in the south-west. In 2007, there were 91,049 km of roadway of which 6,578 km was paved. 

Many of the county’s rivers are not navigable and the principal waterways are Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria and Lake Nyasa which are used for trade with neighbouring countries. There are ferry services to link mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar from the port of Dar es Salaam. 

The international airports are at Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar. Infrastructure managers in the sector include Tanzania Railways (a public–private partnership) and Tanzania Airports Authority.

Other transport widely available in the country includes buses which link rural and urban communities, and taxi services which are available in the areas surrounding small, medium and large urban settlements. In addition, car hire services, run by international companies such as Avis and Sixt as well as local firms, are principally based around Dar es Salaam. 

The World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report (2012-2013) ranks Tanzania 124th out of 144 in quality of overall infrastructure with a score of 3.1 out of 7, below the world mean of 4.3. This means that infrastructure such as transport, telephone and energy is not very well developed in Tanzania. In terms of quality of roads, the report ranks Tanzania low, at 94th out of 144 with a score of 3.2 out of 7, below the world mean of 4.0. The railroad infrastructure in the country is deemed underdeveloped by the WEF report. It scores 2.3 out of 7, below the world mean of 3.1 and in 82nd place out of 144. In port infrastructure, Tanzania ranks 177th and scores 3.3 out of 7, below the world mean of 4.3. Air transport infrastructure is estimated to be of low quality, ranking 117th with a score of 3.5 out of 7, below the world mean of 4.6. The report also records that there were 80.2 million available seat kilometres in the country and Tanzania ranks 83rd out of 144. 

Transport Infrastructure organisations in United Republic of Tanzania
Air Tanzania Co. Ltd
Tanzania Ports Authority
TAZARA Railway
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