TAZARA: Adjustment of timetables for cross-border passenger trains

update (08 June 2017): The new timetables have been shelved until further notice. [more]

The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) has just informed us that it will, with effect from 01 June 2017, adjust the Interstate (Cross-Border) Passenger Train Timetables in order to provide for:

• Ample time for immigration formalities for international travellers
• More detention (stoppage) time at all the stations that are normally congested with parcels and/or passengers
• More time and convenient connections for passengers u-turning at the Tunduma/Nakonde Border

Overall, the adjustments will affect the train movements in the following manner:
 
Terminal Departures

• The departures for the Mukuba passenger trains will remain the same. The Mukuba Express will depart New Kapiri-Mposhi in Zambia on Tuesdays at 16:00 and depart Dar es Salaam in Tanzania for the return journey to New Kapiri-Mposhi on Fridays at 15:50.
• The Kilimanjaro Ordinary will depart Dar es Salaam on Tuesdays at 11:00 and leave New Kapiri-Mposhi for the return journey to Dar es Salaam on Fridays at 11:00.

Terminal Arrivals

• In the case of the Mukuba Express, which departs New Kapiri-Mposhi on Tuesdays 16:00, the arrival time at Dar es Salaam will now be 12:10 on Thursday, while arrival time for the New Kapiri-Mposhi bound Mukuba Express will be 13:45 on Sunday.
• For the Kilimanjaro Ordinary, which departs Dar es Salaam on Tuesdays at 11:00, the arrival time at New Kapiri-Mposhi has changed to 22:54 on Thursday. For the return journey from New Kapiri-Mposhi, the Kilimanjaro Ordinary Passenger Train will now be reaching Dar es Salaam on Sunday at 22:09.

Connections at Nakonde

• The passengers from Zambia who board the Mukuba Express on Tuesday will arrive in Nakonde on Wednesday morning at 08:41 and may return back to their home stations the same day with the Kilimanjaro Ordinary departing Nakonde at 19:34.
• For those who head to Nakonde from New Kapiri-Mposhi with the Kilimanjaro Ordinary on Friday, they will arrive in Nakonde on Saturday at 14:07 and may catch the returning Mukuba Express Train at 19:40 the same day.

Detention Times at Stations

• The detention period has now increased to 10 minutes for Nseluka, Chimba, Chandaweyaya, Makasa, Luchewe and Kapwila stations in Zambia and Chita, Mgeta and Mbingu stations in Tanzania, where extreme congestion of passengers and parcels have been observed in the past.
• In the same vein, detention time has been increased to 25 minutes at Kasama and Chozi stations, to 40 minutes at Nakonde and Makambako stations and to 60 minutes at Mbeya station, for purposes of immigration formalities and other technical reasons.