Kenya Railways undertakes rehabilitation of Nairobi Commuter Rail to decongest roads
KNA by Sharon Atieno
The Kenya Railways Corporation has embarked on the rehabilitation of the Nairobi Commuter Rail (NCR) network to modernize the Nairobi Commuter Rail transport system and decongest roads in the city.
This project involves the rehabilitation of the railway lines, upgrading of halts to mini stations, modernizing the Nairobi Central Railway Station and increasing the rolling stock as part of the Nairobi Commuter Rail of the Nairobi Metropolitan Transport Masterplan.
Speaking while commissioning the Nairobi Commuter Rail (NCR) Project and the Madaraka Express Premium Class Service, Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir said the project aims at decongesting roads within the Nairobi metropolitan besides providing passengers with safe, reliable and affordable transport services in and around Nairobi city.
Chirchir said the Nairobi Commuter Rail (NCR) project encompasses the rehabilitation and upgrade of a total of 139 kilometers (km) of railway track.
The CS said track rehabilitation works were undertaken to improve the riding comfort of the commuters, increase safety of operations and reduce the transit time for the trips by eliminating speed restrictions.
“The Nairobi Commuter Railway network is divided into four corridors which includes, Line One, the Nairobi Central Railway Station– Kikuyu which has a length of 31 km, and it has two intermediate stations; Kibera and Dagoretti,” the CS said.
Chirchir said Line Two includes Makadara to Ruiru with a length of 26 km and it has four intermediate stations which are Dandora, Mwiki, Githurai and Kahawa.
The CS further said Line Three includes the Nairobi Central Station to Konza and has a length of 75 km which is being rehabilitated to improve the access to the Konza Technopolis City. He added that the line has seven intermediate stations- Makadara, Imara Daima, Embakasi, Athi River, Lukenya, Kapiti and Stony Athi.
Line Four, the CS added, includes Makadara to Embakasi Village with a length of 7.2 km and has two intermediate stations- Donholm and Pipeline.
“The World Bank has pledged Sh65 billion towards the construction of 58 kilometers of new rail network which will transform the commuter experience with a target of transporting a hundred thousand passengers daily by the end of the 2024/2025 Financial Year up from the current 20,000,” the CS noted.
Kenya Railways, Chirchir said, has constructed NCR stations and modernized the Nairobi Railway Central Station, Ruiru, Githurai, Mwiki, Dandora, Kariobangi, Lukenya, Kitengela, Aviation,Mutindwa,Kenyatta University,Satellite, Gitaru, Mlolongo and Konza.
Other rail stations whose modernization is on-going under the NCR project, Chrichir said, include Kibera, Makongeni, Mutuini, Thogoto, Kariobangi and Gitambaya.
“The Government plans to complete 32 new stations along the railway line, which will significantly boost our capacity of commuters within the Nairobi metropolis.
He added that KR has already rehabilitated between 300 - 500 Meter Gauge Railway coaches at the Nairobi Workshop and acquired Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) which are under operation providing reliable, safe and comfortable modern rail transport services.
“The Kenya Railways is also underway with the construction of the Ultra-Modern Carriage and Wagon (CXR) Workshop.
The CS further revealed that in July 2024, the Kenya Railways received a batch of new passenger service rolling stock which included one dining car, four Premium Class, four First Class, ten Economy Class coaches and one Power car.
“Guided by our vision of providing a world-class rail service, Kenya Railways has elevated the rail travel experience with the introduction of an exclusive Premium Class service.
“These premium coaches are designed with the discerning traveler in mind, featuring optimized seating arrangement with each coach limited to twenty passengers, guaranteeing ample legroom and personal space and maximum comfort throughout the journey,” Chirchir said.