THE Parliamentary Public Investment Committee (PIC) has expressed satisfaction with the ongoing test drives of electric locomotives and passenger coaches on the standard gauge railway from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro.

Augustine Vuma, Committee Vice Chairman said this yesterday in Morogoro Region after a tour to inspect the test drive conducted by Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC).

He said that the committee was also satisfied that Tanzanians got value for money spent in the project from construction up to procurement stages.

"I would like to commend the government for releasing the fund on time to ensure the project is completed," he said.

He said when operations starts, the project will reduce the cost of transporting of cargo by 40 percent.

"I call on the management of TRC to protect the project and ensure it becomes sustainable," he said.

Augustine called on the management of TRC to ensure the contractor completes the project on time as per contractual agreement.

According to him, the project has created over 30,000 direct employments and 150,000 indirect employments so far.

He said the society has a big role of ensuring all infrastructures are protected.

Ally Karavina, TRC Board Chairman said that ongoing test ride have considered all the engineering procedures.

"We shall implement the government's directives of ensuring the operations start by the end of July this year," he said.

TRC director general Masanja Kadogosa assured the public that the operations will start by the end of July this year as directed by the government.

He said that the test drive from Morogoro to Dodoma will start anytime next month, adding that engineers were finalising some installations.