• Extension of Tanzania’s SGR toward Uganda discussed during Museveni visit
• Project could link Lake Victoria ferries to rail freight corridors
• Move aligns with Tanzania’s bid to position itself as East Africa’s main gateway

Tanzania and Uganda are exploring the possibility of a rail connection, following discussions held during Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s visit to Dar es Salaam over the weekend.

Talks focused on a potential extension of Tanzania’s standard gauge railway (SGR) toward Uganda, complementing the network initially designed to connect Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Preliminary details indicate that the planned upgrade would extend the rail network to Lusahunga, a rural district in northwestern Tanzania near the Ugandan border. A separate line could also be built between Tanga and Musoma, on the shores of Lake Victoria, allowing cargo transfers from ferries operating on the lake to the rail system.

The project comes as Tanzania steps up efforts to position itself as East Africa’s main maritime gateway. Sharing a largely similar hinterland with Kenya’s port of Mombasa, the country is betting on integrated logistics infrastructure to attract landlocked neighbors that also rely on competing ports. Beyond rail, Tanzania is investing in inland water transport and road corridors to improve regional connectivity.

The proposed transnational rail link with Uganda is also being discussed as Kampala seeks to diversify its maritime access points, amid persistent supply chain constraints linked to Mombasa, its main seaport. In 2024, Uganda accounted for nearly 65 % of the 13.5 million tons of transit cargo handled at the Kenyan port.

Alongside the rail project, Uganda has also selected Tanzania as the route for a pipeline intended to export its crude oil, further strengthening transport and logistics ties between the two countries.

Henoc Dossa