The Dar Es Salaam-Morogoro railway project: Maccaferri plays a leading role in Tanzania’s infrastructure development

Between 2019 and August 2022, Maccaferri, through its Turkish subsidiary, was involved in the implementation of the Dar Es Salaam – Morogoro railway line. The first stage of a total route of approximately 1,224 kilometers, the 202-kilometer long Dar Es Salaam – Morogoro rail project will bridge Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania and give these countries access to the Indian Ocean. The rail infrastructure is expected to significantly boost trade, employment and tourism development in the wider African region. The railway track will serve as a pivotal link between the country’s most prominent port – that of Dar es Salaam – and its inland hub, which is a vital crossroads for north-south rail linkages. The new Tanzania Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) system will be replacing the old and long-defunct metric-gauge railway system. The Tanzanian government intends to relieve traffic congestion while cutting transportation costs. Upon completion, the railway network will set up a development gateway to bolster future growth and support the country’s industrialization expansion plans. 

Maccaferri was engaged in the infrastructure project’s first stage to take part in solving the issue related to progressive soil erosion. Indeed, some soil surfaces are exposed to erosive forces, with harmful effects on the vegetation substrate. Due to the characteristics of Tanzanian soils and the cut slope angle, clogging of drainage channels was also being experienced. Thanks to Maccaferri’s experience, tailor-made solutions were designed to control soil erosion over a total area of about 345,000 m². Upon performing land surveys and geotechnical investigations, the installation of MacMat® reinforced and unreinforced geomats turned out to be the winning choice. When compared to other solutions on the market, no trucks were needed to install MacMat®, thus both saving time and money while at the same time lowering CO₂ emissions. Moreover, no excavators or other auxiliary machines were used, and the teams for the installation required nearly half as many resources. Work was completed with proper hydroseeding, so as to further revegetate and protect the soil. 

Finally, Maccaferri’s work on degraded soils in Tanzania provided the maximum vegetation protective effects against soil erosion. Soil and greenery are indeed interrelated: while on the one hand, fertile soil fosters plant growth by serving as a root-anchoring substrate, on the other hand greenery growth can be an effective tool to fight erosion due to plants’ roots holding the soil in place. 

Thanks to Maccaferri-developed technology, the first section of the Tanzania Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) infrastructure could be built while protecting the environment and safeguarding soil performance.