Türkiye will export 100 freight wagons to Tanzania, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said in a written statement on Oct. 21, according to Anadolu Agency (AA).
The wagons will be built by TÜRASAŞ, the state-owned rail vehicle manufacturer, at its regional directorate in Sivas in central Anatolia. TÜRASAŞ was formed in 2020 by merging Türkiye’s three state rail factories in Eskişehir, Sakarya and Sivas, and produces locomotives, wagons and passenger trains for the national operator TCDD as well as for export.
Six-axle container wagons
The order covers Sggmrs-type wagons, a design used for carrying intermodal containers. Each wagon will have six axles, a length of about 21 metres and a carrying capacity of 109 tonnes, and will be able to take containers of different lengths, the ministry said.
Uraloğlu said the wagons would contribute to Tanzania’s rail freight transport. The deal is the second Turkish rail vehicle export to the East African country, following an earlier delivery of DE10000 mainline locomotives, and is planned to be carried out within a year, AA reported. No contract value was given in the statement as reported by AA, and no delivery schedule beyond the one-year target was announced.
Turkish rail industry abroad
Turkish contractors and suppliers have been active in Tanzania’s railway sector for several years, including on construction of the country’s new standard-gauge line linking the Indian Ocean port of Dar es Salaam with the interior. Freight wagons for container traffic are a natural follow-on for rail manufacturers hoping to supply the operators of such lines.
At home, Türkiye continues to expand its own network. The new Çerkezköy–Kapıkule high-speed line to the Bulgarian border recently opened, and private operators are building freight corridors to Central Asia, such as a plan to haul Kazakh grain on the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway.
Exports beyond Europe
Industrial exports to Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia are part of Ankara’s strategy to diversify trade away from its main European markets. Overall, Turkish exports reached a record of about $26 billion in September, according to trade ministry data.
For foreigners following Türkiye’s economy or considering a move, our moving to Türkiye checklist for 2026 covers the practical first steps.
Sources
Photo: User:Quintucket / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
