Nairobi, Dec. 25 -- Tanzania is beaming with hope that cargo transportation within the country and to neighbouring nations will be cheaper by 2027 once it completes construction of the standard gauge railway (SGR) after two Chinese firms inked a deal to construct the final phase of the rail.

The firms, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and China Railway Construction Company (CRCC), will build the final 506km section to complete the railroad linking the Dar es Salaam port to landlocked neighbours Burundi and DR Congo.

"Upon completion of the SGR, Tanzania will be in a better position to utilise its strategic geographical positioning to facilitate cross-border trade," President Samia Suluhu told a gathering in Dar e...