SGR construction to be complete by December

The construction of the Mombasa, Nairobi line of the standard gauge railway is expected to be complete by December, the Transport Ministry has announced.

So far, over 75 percent civil works have been completed on phase one of the SGR project with over 234 kilometers of track-line having been laid between Emali and Voi.

Transport Principal Secretary Irungu Nyakera said the first batch of trains to run on the SGR line will arrive by December with test runs scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2017.

The Sh420 billio project has been the centre of attention, with government reaffirming that the new line will cut down the time and cost of passenger and cargo transport.

“The government expects the project to reduce freight costs from $0.20 per tonne/km to $0.08 per tonne/km. It will also increase cargo train speeds up to 80kms/hr and passenger trains at 120km/hr. Essentially, the rail trip from Mombasa to Nairobi will take only four hours,’’ Mr Nyakera said.

The government plans to put at least 40 percent of total cargo from the port of Mombasa on the SGR line. Kenya Railways has already begun the search for the lines operator.

“While we have been tasked with providing transport infrastructure that will serve many generations to come, the future expansion of the Standard Gauge Railway will largely depend on how we can optimize its usage in the region,” Kenya Railways MD Atanas Maina said.

Cargo and passenger transport on the SGR line is expected to start in June 2017.

Want to send us a story? Submit on Wananchi Reporting on the Citizen Digital App or Send an email to wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke or Send an SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp on 0743570000

Leave a Comment

Comments

No comments yet.

latest stories