International Railroad Discussion > TAZARA cut since 30 April

Phillippa Dean really stuffed up with this heading “Tazara races to restore operations”.  
https://www.railwaysafrica.com/news/tazara-races-to-restore-operations-after-disruption-caused-by-a-landslide
Only one backhoe in the photo, and not a wheelbarrow to be seen, but TAZARA were said to be "frantically working on restoring train operations"!

Government control of print media in Tanzania means stories covering bureaucratic ineptitude are blocked.
Like the time in July 2017 when Progress Rail dumped 11 (South African assembled) GT38LC-3 on the wharf in Dar es Salaam with no paper work, to teach (Tanzanian President) Magufuli a lesson. Like don't play silly buggers with those who have a greater turnover than your GDP.
Took port officialdom and customs 2 days to realise what happened, the ship had long gone, then the excreta hit the fan, sackings of port and customs officialdom followed, with news blackouts in the formal media. The informal media on the internet spilled the beans. Magufuli eventually (and reluctantly) paid for the locos, that had been ordered by his predecessor.

If Phillippa had dug a bit deeper (possibly asking too much), she may have discovered that a spring has appeared under the line, and the civil engineers at TAZARA and in the government, don't have a solution, but are too pig headed to call in consultants, or a locally based international civil engineering contractor like Mota-Engil to fix the problem. Perhaps they are waiting for PRC assistance to arrive. Mao's merry men built the line in the mid-1970's, as an act of solidarity with their Pan-African Socialist brethren, who were squaring off with the white regimes to the south. The 14 day quarantine period for the Chicom Pox may be delaying PRC assistance. 
I guess that building a temporary deviation has never crossed the bureaucrats minds.
The conspiracy theorists will claim that it is a plot to bankrupt the open access freight operators, who were forced on TAZARA management by the Government shareholders, to reduce subsidies, and loathed by management and unions, due to the privateers efficiency's, and relay working. Relay working as in a 5 person crew who live in a caboose behind the locos, and work 8 hour rolling shifts, 3 drivers, the 4th person is a mechanic/electrician who fills in as an observer with the 3rd driver to form the second driving pair. The 5th crew member is the brake guru who maintains the container splines at passing loop halts. As in Australia, relay working is a cheaper option, lowers the overall headcount, and no expensive to maintain crew bases up country.

Ive ridden the line on Rovos Rail. Very spectacular. It was built by the Chinese to what appeared to be a very high standard. Now allowed to go to crap by inept African governments. Although still in much better shape than the line that continues in Zambia run by ZR. 

Looks like a government job.  Must be 20 or more standing around doing nothing.