Tanzania: Systra to study three-line monorail for Dar es Salaam

Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) has appointed the French engineering group Systra to lead a feasibility study for a three-line monorail network in Dar es Salaam. The proposed Red, Orange and Yellow lines would serve a city whose population is expected to reach about 10 million by 2030.

A pilot line to the airport

The first section under consideration is a pilot on the Yellow Line, linking the central business district with Julius Nyerere International Airport. According to Systra's announcement reported by Rail Technology Magazine, the study will cover:

• technical requirements and route alignments;
• available technology options;
• projected costs;
• the most effective delivery model and room for private sector involvement;
• whether a monorail is in fact the best long-term solution for the city.

Line lengths, the study budget and its duration have not been published.

Private capital wanted

TRC Director General Machibya Shiwa said, after a first meeting with Systra on 17 September, that the study will give "a professional basis to determine the best way to implement the project", as reported by Railway Gazette International. TRC wants the private sector to bring capital, innovation and technology to building and operating the network. The project is part of the government's National Development Vision 2050.

Alexander Farnell, Systra's country head for Tanzania, called the study "a crucial step in determining the best way to deliver a modern, efficient and sustainable transport solution" for the city.

TrainsNews analysis

Monorails promise a light elevated structure that is quick to build over congested roads, but their capacity is lower than a conventional metro, and few suppliers make the trains. That makes the choice of technology, and the risk of depending on one supplier, a central question for a city of 10 million. The study will also have to fit the monorail into a network that already includes the Dar es Salaam bus rapid transit system, the commuter rail service and TRC's standard gauge railway to the interior. Keeping the option of a conventional light metro on the table, as the study brief allows, is a sensible step.

Related: the Santo Domingo monorail tender, our directory of sub-Saharan African rail infrastructure managers and more rail news from Africa.

Sources: Systra announcement (Rail Technology Magazine, 1 October 2026); TRC statements reported by Railway Gazette International (9 October 2026).