ANKARA

Turkish construction enterprise Yapi Merkezi is building a high-speed rail line in East Africa, said the company in a press release on Thursday.

The Istanbul-based company said railroad project will connect Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Tanzania and provide access to the Indian Ocean from East Africa.

The first part of the project will link the Tanzania's largest city Dar es Salaam with the city of Morogoro involving 205 kilometers (127.3 miles) out of total 1,224 kilometers (760.5 miles).

The firm said the groundbreaking ceremony of the nearly $1.1 billion project was held on April 12 in Tanzania.

It added trains will be able to travel up to 160 kilometers per hour (99.4 miles per hour) on the railway between Dar es Salaam and Morogoro.

The joint venture between Yapi Merkezi and Portuguese company Mota-Engil will enable Dar es Salaam, one of Africa's most important tourist destinations, to make a breakthrough in terms of commerce and tourism, the firm said.

The Turkish and Portuguese companies won the tender held by the Tanzanian Railways Authority (Reli Assets Holding Company Limited) on Dec. 6, 2016.

Founded in 1965, Yapi Merkezi completed 41 railroad projects by the end of 2016. The Turkish company lastly completed the Eurasia Tunnel, which is an underground road link spanning Istanbul’s European and Asian sides.

Mota-Engil has 71 years of experience in the industry and is regarded as one of the top Portuguese construction companies.