Zanzibar
Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islands ...
was the first country in
East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
to introduce the steam locomotive.
Sultan's railway
Sultan
Bargash bin Said had a seven-mile railway constructed from his palace at
Stone Town
Stonetown of Zanzibar ( ar, مدينة زنجبار الØجرية), also known as Mji Mkongwe ( Swahili for "old town"), is the old part of Zanzibar City, the main city of Zanzibar, in Tanzania. The newer portion of the city is known as Ng'ambo ...
to
Chukwani in 1879. Initially the two Pullman cars were hauled by mules but in 1881 the Sultan ordered an locomotive from the English locomotive builders
Bagnall. The
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
saw service until the Sultan died in 1888 when the track and locomotive were scrapped.
Bububu Railway
In 1905 the American Company Arnold Cheyney built a seven-mile line from
Zanzibar Town
Stonetown of Zanzibar ( ar, مدينة زنجبار الØجرية), also known as Mji Mkongwe ( Swahili for "old town"), is the old part of Zanzibar City, the main city of Zanzibar, in Tanzania. The newer portion of the city is known as Ng'ambo ...
to the village of
Bububu Bububu is a town on the Tanzanian island of Unguja, the main island of Zanzibar. It is located on the central west coast, 10 kilometres north of the Zanzibari capital of Stone Town
Stonetown of Zanzibar ( ar, مدينة زنجبار الØجر٠...
. It was notorious for its ability to set fire to property and the surrounding countryside but it ran for twenty-five years until it closed in 1930.
The Bububu Railway plied six or seven times a day to Zanzibar Town. The service was extremely popular and largely used by the native population. A special first-class coach was run for the benefit of those passengers from steamers who wish to obtain a glimpse of the island. The railway traversed some of the narrowest streets of the city, and it was a constant source of wonderment how passers-by escaped being run over. Europeans resident in Zanzibar regard the railway with an amused tolerance.
During the railway construction the Americans undertook the task of installing electrical power lines along the track. Wherever the rails were placed, metal poles were installed and power lines strung overhead. By 1906, Stone Town had electric street lights. In 1911, the railway was sold to the Government, and by 1922 the passenger service ceased. As roads improved and motor vehicles on the island increased, its popularity diminished.
With the improvement of the port the railway was used for the haulage of stone which was used to reclaim the seafront. Today much of the old track bed has been built on however some of the railway’s bridges and embankments remain close to the main road to Bububu.
See also
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History of Zanzibar
People have lived in Zanzibar for 20,000 years. History properly starts when the islands became a base for traders voyaging between the African Great Lakes, the Somali Peninsula, the Arabian peninsula, Iran, and the Indian subcontinent. Unguja of ...
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Rail transport in Tanzania
Rail transport in Tanzania is conducted by two companies (Tanzania Railways Corporation and TAZARA). It has historically used narrow gauge trackage, but planning and construction of new standard gauge lines is underway as of 2017.
Railway links ...
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History of rail transport in Tanzania :''This article is part of the history of rail transport by country series''
The history of rail transport in Tanzania began in the late nineteenth century.
Zanzibar
From about 1880 to 1888, a tramway operated in Zanzibar, then ruled by the se ...
Further reading
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References
{{Reflist
Rail transport in Tanzania
Transport in Zanzibar