Tanzania's plan to cut carbon emissions by 30-35 per cent by 2030 has taken off on a good start as the country begins test running its new electric rail line.
Unlike its regional peers like Kenya, Tanzania is moving away from diesel-powered trains and on July 4, electric trains started plying the Dar es Salaam – Morogoro route, a distance of 300km.
Tanzania contracted a Turkish firm to build its $1.92 billion (Sh192 billion) Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) which runs parallel to the old line and will cover 422 km.
The country procured 42 electric trains from South Korea's Hyundai Rotem which cruise at a speed of 160 km/h.
Kenya's diesel-powered locomotives pale in comparison as they travel at a maximum speed of 120km/h despite having cost $1.7 billion (Sh170 billion) more.
Kenya's SGR was built at US$3.6 billion (Sh360 billion) being among Kenya's most expensive infrastructure projects as at the time it was launched.
Unlike Tanzania, Kenya has committed to cut carbon emissions by 32 per cent by 2030.
But unlike its Tanzanian counterpart, projects such as the diesel-powered SGR whose usage will continue emitting dangerous fumes into the atmosphere may slow the pace a tad higher.
Data from the Rail Safety and Standards board in the UK indicates that diesel locomotives emit more than 90g of carbon dioxide per passenger per kilometre compared to about 45g for an electric train.
Kenya's Madaraka Express passenger train can carry 1,096 people per trip.
This means at full capacity, a single diesel coach can emit up to 47,347 kgs of carbon dioxide for every 480km trip between Nairobi and Mombasa.
In comparison, an electric train has a passenger capacity of 600 which means Tanzania will reduce about 16,200 kg of carbon dioxide per trip per train.
UK’s Department for Transport estimates that an electric train emits between 20-35 per cent less carbon per passenger mile than a diesel train.
This, therefore, posses a challenge to Kenya to consider electrifying the SGR as a key strategy to achieve its carbon reduction goal.
Converting the diesel locomotives into electrical ones is the most viable way for Kenya to deal with this challenge going forward.
