According to various sources, the Tanga Cement Company has signed a deal with Tanzania Railway Ltd to ferry 35,000t of cement a month to Mwanza and Kigoma.
The deal would see the state rail company ship 15 000 t to Mwanza on Lake Victoria and 20 000 t to Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika. Both destinations are isolated from cement producing regions and as a consequence currently pay high prices for cement.
Under the arrangement, at least five locomotives will ferry cement to the two destinations in the Lake zone and western part of the country.
It is hoped that shipping cement by rail will allow cement prices to fall in the area.
Once implemented, the deal will bring the Ruvu to Tanga line to back to life. The railway line has not operated for years.