Tanzanian Railways Corporation Phase 2

Name of Client:
Tanzanian Railways Corporation
Location:
Morogoro to Dodoma – Trackside, Tanzania
Start Date:
October 1999
Completion Date:
December 2001

Description of Project:
The TRC Phase 2 project was implemented to replace old open wire facilities carrying telephone, train signaling and trackside communications with a fibre optic network between Morogoro and Dodoma in Tanzania. The project was funded by KfW in Germany and the consulting firm to oversee the project was Detecon. Actual implementation required SaskTel International to trench, bury and splice the fibre (using direct buried armored fibre cable method), plus install all network multiplex, solar power systems and ancillary interface systems, over a two year period. Cutovers had to be cognizant of services in use used over an operational train transport system and safety of train traffic was paramount. Much of the trenching on the project was performed by hand using local labour to provide employment opportunities.

Description of Services:
SaskTel International was awarded this turn-key project via a competitive bidding process and completed all design work, engineering, implementation and testing and commissioning. Fibre multiplex network nodes were placed at each railway station and connected to the fibre plant that spanned 260 kilometers. In addition, several ancillary systems had to be installed and integrated into the network including solar power and signaling conversion units for the trackside signaling system. SaskTel International completed all systems planning and installation services from fibre splicing and training of TRC personal to commissioning of multiplex and NMS elements.