{{infobox rail line |name = Usambara Railway |locale = German East Africa |linelength = {{convert|350.5|km|mi|abbr=on|sp=us}}<br>+ {{convert|86.1|km|mi|abbr=on|sp=us}} |gauge = 1 Meter |maxincline = 2.5 &nbsp;% | website = {{URL|http://www.mwtc.go.tz/}} |minradius = 150&nbsp;m |map={{routemap|inline=1|map= KBHFa~~Hafen BHF~~0.0~~Tanga BHF~~1.7~~Golfu Halt DST~~6.8~~Kange Siding DST~~10.6~~Maweni Siding BHF~~14.1~~Pongwe BHF~~15.3~~Pongwe Halt BHF~~24.8~~Ngomeni BHF~~28.7~~Mkanyageni Halt BHF~~Reder’s Halt BHF~~35.9~~Lusange BHF~~39.7~~Muheza \BS2l\BS2c3 exKBHFa\BHF~~44.3~~Tengeni~~ex: Sigi-Bahn (750 mm) exSTRr\STR \BS2+l\BS2c4 BHF~~50.0~~Mambo Leo Halt BHF~~55.2~~Kihuhwi BHF~~58.3~~Zannetiberg Halt ABZg+l~~to Ruvu and Dar es Salaam DST~~65.0~~Murasi Junction BHF~~69.1~~Mnyusi DST~~74.8~~Magunga Siding BHF~~81.3~~Luengera Halt BHF~~84.0~~Korogwe hKRZWae~~Pangani BHF~~87.3~~Manundu Halt BHF~~91.1~~Ngombezi BHF~~96.9~~Maurui BHF~~113.3~~Makuyuni DST~~127.6~~Mombo Quarry Siding~~ex Bus n. Lushoto BHF~~140.8~~Mazinde BHF~~147.4~~Mkumbara~~ex Seilbahn v. Adolf Bleichert & Co. BHF~~166.9~~Mkomazi BHF~~178.6~~Mikocheni Halt BHF~~189.7~~Mabirioni BHF~~198.1~~Hedaru BHF~~217.5~~Mkanya BHF~~252.1~~Same DST~~243.4~~Moshi Trading Company Siding STR~~283~~Höchster Punkt der Strecke~~1003m BHF~~290.4~~Lembeni BHF~~296.8~~Kisangara Halt BHF~~306.2~~Mbuyuni Halt BHF~~310.4~~Kisangiro BHF~~321.9~~Tingatinga Halt BHF~~330.9~~Kahe Junction ABZgr~~nach Voi. Kenya ABZg+r~~von Voi. Kenya BS2+l\BS2c4 eABZgl+l\exSTR+r BHF\exSTR~~341.1~~Rau River Halt KBHFe\exSTR~~{{BSsplit|0.0|350.5|line=1|align=right}}~~Moshi \exBS2+l\exBS2c4 exBHF~~21.6~~Rundugai Halt exBHF~~31.7~~Kikuletwa exBHF~~62.3~~Usa River exBHF~~65.2~~Tengeru Halt exDST~~77.3~~Tanganyika Packers Siding exDST~~82.3~~Themi states Siding exKBHFe~~86.1~~Arusha }}}} The '''Usambara Railway ''' ({{langx|de|Usambarabahn}}) was the first railway to be built in German East Africa and what is today Tanzania.

== History == === German East-Africa === A railway company was created in 1891 with the aim of connecting the port of Tanga at the Indian Ocean with Lake Victoria by passing south of the Usambara Mountains. A {{RailGauge|1000mm}} gauge was chosen. From June 1893 the line advanced inland from Tanga. Due to undercapitalization, the company had to be taken over by the state in 1899. Thereafter the line was run by the ''Ostafrikanische Eisenbahngesellschaft'' (East African Railway Cooperation), a company which had been created to build and operate the Tanganyika Central Line (Zentralbahn) from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma. Between Pongwe and Ngommi on the Usambara Railway there was a double hairpin turn. Around 1910, a cable spur (the ''Seilbahn'') was constructed to connect the line with the sawmills at Neu-Hornow.{{cn|date=May 2022}} One of the civil engineers working on the line was Erwin Böhme.<ref>Translated excerpt [http://www.jastaboelcke.de/aces/erwin_boehme/boehme_bio.htm]</ref>

thumb|Usambara Railway tracks

On 26 September 1911, the track reached Moshi at Mount Kilimanjaro by {{convert|351.4|km|mi|abbr=on}}. Traffic on the entire line commenced on 4 October 1911; the official inauguration took place on 7 February 1912. In 1914, a train ran daily from Tanga to Buiko and back, and twice a week, the service continued to and from Moshi. The entire trip took 14 hours and 40 minutes.

From the Tengeni station to the town of Sigi, there was a branch-line of {{convert|23.3|km|mi|abbr=on}} constructed with a {{RailGauge|750mm}} gauge, possessing four switchbacks on its course.

From 4 June 1912 to 12 May 1913, the line was renamed ''Nordbahn'' (Northern Railway) for a short period. The extension to Arusha was already planned and capital was provided, but was not built due to the start of World War I.

===British Mandate=== The British mandate, which took over Tanganyika from the Germans, connected the Usambara Railway between Moshi and Voi with the Uganda Railway in Kenya and extended it 1929 to its current termination point Arusha.

==Tanzania== Shortly after the country (it was still then Tanganyika) became independent, the Tanganyika Central Line and the Usambara Railway were connected between Mruazi and Ruvu; the new section was in use in 1964. During the East African Community era, which covered Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika/Tanzania, the Usambara Railway belonged to East African Railways (EAR). This community was dissolved in 1977, and the Usambara Railway became part of the Tanzania Railways Corporation.

==Service== Under German rule in 1913, the Usambara Railway operated 18 locomotives, 31 carriages and 199 trucks with 562 employees (of which 35 were Europeans).

After construction of the connection to Voi, traffic between Arusha, Moshi and the coast was directed to the port of Mombasa, and the eastern part of the Usambara Railway was reduced to a local service. Passenger traffic was handled with four DMUs during this time. Passenger trains operated on this line up to the 1990s.

In 2018, the Government of Tanzania invested 5.7 billion Tanzanian shillings to rehabilitate the line. As of July 2019, diesel powered cargo trains are leaving Tanga Railway Station again.<ref>{{cite web |title=Why Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda are falling back to old railway |url=https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/news/1840340-5214560-98tujr/index.html |website=The Citizen |access-date=29 July 2019}}</ref> Passenger transport between Tanga and Arusha was planned to start in September 2019, but has not been commenced yet.

==Gallery== <gallery widths=180> Usambara Railway station in.JPG|One of the many small (loading) stations lining up along the railtracks. Railstation in Moshi.jpg|Moshi Railway Station. Tanga Railway Station.jpg|Tanga Railway Station. Platform ticket machine at Tanga Station 20090401.jpg|Platform ticket machine in Tanga. Usambara Railway tracks.jpg|Tracks Locomotive at Tanga Railway Station.jpg|Diesel locomotive at Tanga Railway Station in 2019. </gallery>

==See also== * Rail transport in Tanzania * Transport in Tanzania

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Bibliography== *Helmut Schroeter: ''Die Eisenbahnen der ehemaligen deutschen Schutzgebiete Afrikas und ihre Fahrzeuge'' = Die Fahrzeuge der deutschen Eisenbahnen 7. Frankfurt 1961.

==External links== * [http://www.ntz.info/picturesbig/p03379.jpg A map of the line], following its annexation by Britain and connection to the Kenyan system

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Category:Railway lines in Tanzania Category:Economy of German East Africa Category:Metre-gauge railways in Tanzania Category:Railway lines opened in 1911 Category:1911 establishments in German East Africa