Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye on Saturday laid the foundation stone for a historic railway that will connect the country to Tanzania – the nation's first rail network.

Ndayishimiye and Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa laid the foundation stone of the 282-kilometre standard gauge railway in Musongati, 160 kilometres southeast of the commercial capital Bujumbura.

The rail network will form part of the Central Corridor, a strategic trade route connecting inland economies to the Port of Dar es Salaam.

"This railway will profoundly transform regional transport, reduce delays and transport costs," Flory Okendju, the executive secretary of the Central Corridor, who is coordinating the project said.

'Beginning of robust development for Burundi'

According to Okendju, the project — expected to take about six years to complete — will eventually extend to Uvira and Kindu in eastern DR Congo, with feasibility studies scheduled to conclude in May 2026.

In his speech, Ndayishimiye said the railway will enable Burundi to exploit millions of tonnes of nickel, iron and platinum.

"When I contacted mining companies for its exploitation, they asked me how we would evacuate all this ore, and I had no answer. This is truly the beginning of a robust development for Burundi," he said.

Burundi's Prime Minister Nestor Ntahontuye said the railway will help the country save $36 million a month on the imports and export transportation costs.

Relied on trucks for decades

For decades, the region has relied on thousands of trucks to transport goods to sea side ports.

The estimated $2.1 billion cost of Burundi's portion of the project is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Tanzanian bank CRDB, and managed by two Chinese companies.