• Tanzania and Burundi begin construction of a $2.15 billion cross-border railway.
• The 240 km line will cut Dar es Salaam–Bujumbura cargo trips from 96 to 20 hours.
• Project seen as strategic for trade growth, with future extension toward the DRC.

Tanzania and Burundi officially launched the construction of a modern railway line on August 16, 2025, linking Uvinza in Tanzania to Musongati in Burundi. Valued at $2.15 billion, the project will cover 240 kilometers and is expected to be completed within five years, including a one-year pilot phase. The agreement for the project was signed in January 2022.

This cross-border railway is set to transform trade flows. The transport of goods between Dar es Salaam and Bujumbura, which currently takes 96 hours by truck, will be reduced to 20 hours by train. The freight cost of a 20-foot container is expected to fall from $3,800 to $2,000.

Speaking at the launch ceremony in Musongati, Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, representing President Samia Suluhu Hassan, highlighted the project’s strategic importance. Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye described it as the fulfillment of a century-old dream, calling it a key lever for Burundi’s Vision 2040 for an emerging economy and Vision 2060 for developed nation status.

Plans also foresee extending the line into the Democratic Republic of Congo and eventually to the Atlantic Ocean to facilitate mineral exports, particularly nickel, helping open up the region.

The new infrastructure will significantly raise transport capacity, with a train able to carry up to 3,000 tons of goods compared with 30 tons for a truck.

As members of the East African Community (EAC), Tanzania and Burundi benefit from trade and customs facilitation. According to the International Trade Centre, bilateral trade reached nearly $140 million in 2024. For landlocked Burundi, the railway will deepen its reliance on Tanzania’s port of Dar es Salaam, which handles most of its imports and exports.