Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa has flagged off the third electric standard gauge railway (SGR) train trial runs covering 541 kilometers.

The trial runs were conducted on Sunday from the port city of Dar es Salaam to the capital Dodoma.

He flagged off the eight-wagon train with over 300 passengers, including religious leaders, retired government leaders, and journalists, at 2:57 p.m. local time.

It was expected to arrive in Dodoma after four hours.

According to Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) Director General Masanja Kadogosa, the entire SGR project will cover 1,596 kilometers from Dar es Salaam to the Mwanza region, covering five lots.

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Speaking on arrival in Morogoro aboard the second electric SGR train trial run, Mbarawa said the journey took two hours after running at 110 km per hour, 120 km per hour, and 150 km per hour.

Mbarawa said the 300-km Dar es Salaam-Morogoro railway line is the first phase of the SGR project, which is expected to run in five phases up to Mwanza on the shores of Lake Victoria and Kigoma on the north-eastern shores of Lake Tanganyika.

The first and second trial runs, covering 300 kilometers, were carried out in February and March from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro.