Chinese Company Leads Africa’s First Cross-Border Standard Gauge Railway Expansion

A May 2025 file image of Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye. Photo by Tchandrou NITANGA / AFP.

China Railway Group Limited (CREC) is heading the construction of a new transfrontier rail line between Tanzania and Burundi. Construction of the Uvinza–Musongati line was officially inaugurated during a ceremony on Saturday.

The 1,435-kilometer electrified line will provide landlocked Burundi with access to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam. Currently, it takes trucks 96 hours to make the journey. The rail line, which is scheduled to be completed by 2030, will cut that travel time to a single day, while vastly increasing the amount of cargo that can be transported.

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by CGSP Staff

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