Putting railway back on track a good idea
A train doing a test run on the Nairobi-Nanyuki railway line in Naromoru on June 27, 2020.
What you need to know:
- Businesses and agricultural communities that hitherto relied on expensive road transport will now have an alternative.
- A large section of the MGR network has been revived, courtesy of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s broad agenda of cutting the cost of production.
The recent refurbishment of sections of the Metre Gauge Railway (MGR) line is good news as it is expected to help sustain businesses in the counties and create cargo volumes to ensure viability of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).
Businesses and agricultural communities that hitherto relied on expensive road transport will now have an alternative.
A large section of the MGR network has been revived, courtesy of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s broad agenda of cutting the cost of production.
This rehabilitation will herald the re-establishment of the missing link in the business and agriculture supply chain following the collapse of railway services and folding up of the Rift Valley Railways concession six years ago.
Safer means of transport
Notably, the programme is being undertaken largely with resources generated within Kenya Railways and the cost kept low with the use of the National Youth Service (NYS) and local youth.
A key milestone is the recently refurbished 177 km Nairobi-Nanyuki railway line, with the return of freight trains for the first time since the 1990s.
According to KRC MD Philip Mainga, the branch will provide a faster, reliable and safer means of transport. It will also have a significant positive impact on the environment, thanks to the reduction in carbon emissions and reduced wear and tear of the roads. Completed in 1931, the Nairobi-Thika-Maragua-Sagana-Karatina-Nanyuki line serves five Central counties.
This line is expected to reduce the cost of transporting agricultural produce, create jobs and ease congestion on the Nanyuki -Nairobi road.
Special Economic Zones
The government intends to establish Special Economic Zones in each county. The Nairobi-Nanyuki line will also revive logistics businesses.
The rehabilitation of the Nakuru-Kisumu line and the Lake Victoria train ferry, MV Uhuru, will revive lake transport from Mwanza in Tanzania, to Jinja and Entebbe in Uganda and Muhoma Bay in Rwanda. It will also drive maritime trade in the Great Lakes region.
Another project is the new MGR line to link Naivasha to Longonot railway station. The 24.3km line will link the SGR to the MGR line to enable transportation of goods from Mombasa to Malaba and/or Kisumu.
The Nairobi Commuter Rehabilitation Project – which comprises the revival the Nairobi-Konza line; the Madaraka-Ruiru line; the Nairobi- Kikuyu line and the 7.2 km Nairobi to Embakasi Village – has been buoyed by the recent acquisition of 11 Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) from SFM of Spain.
