President Uhuru Kenyatta this week commissioned five trains, which are part of the ongoing efforts to ease transport for residents of Nairobi and its environs under the Nairobi Commuter Rail Service.
The refurbished Diesel Multiple Units (DMU), acquired from Spain at a cost of Kes 1.17 billion, are expected to significantly enhance public transport within the metropolis by reducing commuting time and traffic congestion.
The Nairobi Commuter Rail Service is part of Nairobi Metropolitan Transport Master Plan. The project aims to carry out a modernization and expansion of underutilized railway transport infrastructure facilities within Nairobi in order to attract passenger traffic from the roads thus reduce congestion and create an efficient and affordable mass rapid transit transport system for the city. It will integrate rail transport with other modes of transport road and air transport.
The launch of the trains coincided with commissioning of the refurbished Nairobi Central Railway Station, which will serve as the nerve centre of operations connecting to 10 stations in satellite towns, including newly-built stations in Donholm and Pipeline.
Kenya Railways revealed a radically transformed Nairobi Railway Station, complete with card activated ticket barriers and a new platform. Commuters will be paying using either cash or mobile transaction via M-Pesa.
At the same time, the President commissioned the new Kenya Railways Transit Shed. The shed known as ‘Boma line’ is part of efforts to facilitate and enhance ease of doing business and is expected to cut the cost of doing business for small traders. Cargo for the SMEs will be transported from Kilindini Port to ICDN, Embakasi, and later transshipped to the Transit Shed using Metre Gauge Railway (MGR).
The developments come a few months after Kenya Railways completed the rehabilitation of the Nairobi-Nanyuki line which is expected to ease the movement of goods and people in the Mt Kenya region.
