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Stranded train passengers assured of leaving Dar
2008-02-23 09:44:38
By Felister Peter
Hundreds of central line train passengers who have been stranded for about four days at the Tanzania Railway Limited (TRL) main station in Dar es Salaam were expected to leave for up-country regions yesterday evening.
Speaking to The Guardian yesterday in Dar es Salaam, some of the passengers said that the TRL administration had informed them that they could not travel because part of the railway line was damaged due to the current rains.
One of them, Rajab Kirabona, who was travelling to Kigoma, said that on Tuesday they were told that heavy rainfall had swept part of the railway line at Makutupora area in Dodoma.
However, another passenger, Maria Kabeke, said that apart from destructions of the railway line by rainfall, there had been frequent engine failures whereby trains did not run according to schedule.
``You can even see from the noticeboard, they have said the train will leave at around 7 pm, but it can stay here till 9 pm. Normally the train leaves at around 5 pm``, said Maria.
Maria, who has been a regular train passenger, said the engines and other locomotives are too old to continue being in service because they failed very often.
Another passenger, Fabian Rutona, complained that such unplanned postponement of train trips affected them a lot because they do not have relatives in Dar es Salaam and they have a limited amount of money to spend while on safari.
Early this week TRL managing director Naraslmhaswami Jayaram said that his company was facing serious financial constraints and might fail to heed the government ultimatum to improve passenger services.
He said that problems have been triggered by the failure to complete the rehabilitation of ten 73-class locomotives and 15 others in the 88-class because they were the most potential sources of earnings.
Contacted for comment, Infrastructure Development deputy minister Milton Mahanga said the government was still waiting for a report from the TRL administration on what had actually caused the passengers to be stranded at the railway station in Dar es Salaam for more than four days.
He said that once the report reached his office, he would take appropriate action.
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