Nairobi-Naivasha Standard Gauge Railway to be commissioned Wednesday

PUBLISHED ON October 17th, 2019

Nairobi-Naivasha Standard Gauge Railway to be commissioned Wednesday

President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to commission the second phase of the railway paving the way for passenger and cargo services on the railway line between Nairobi and Naivasha.

President Kenyatta is also expected to commission construction of the Nairobi Expressway Project which connects Mombasa Road and Nakuru Highway at Rironi that is projected to cost 50 billion shillings and take 3 years to complete.

The 120-kilometer standard gauge railway line between Nairobi and Naivasha connects Mombasa through Nairobi to the resort town of Naivasha, where a dry port is under construction to ease the movement of goods.

The Nairobi-Naivasha railway line has been under construction since October 2016 with four stations at Ongata Rongai, Ngong Mai Mahui, and Suswa.

The construction of the railway line is being undertaken by the China Communications Construction Company. The project is expected to be commissioned this Wednesday by President Kenyatta at the Suswa station, the largest of the four passenger stations.

The contractor has been running trial text in the last one month in readiness to commission the project. Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia has said the project has been completed within the budget and agreed time-frame.

Some salient features of the line include the longest railway tunnel in Africa at 4.5 kilometers and a 6-kilometer super-bridge over the Nairobi national park.

President Kenyatta is further expected to launch the construction of the Mombasa road to Rironi expressway.

The 50 billion shillings project first proposed eleven years ago is expected to reduce travel time along the highway by two hours.

According to the design, the multi-billion shillings road project to be constructed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation through a Public Private Partnership will be between Mlolongo, in Machakos County, through Nairobi and Rironi, Kiambu County.

The contractor China Road and Bridge Corporation will fund the project with the completion date slated for the year 2022.

Source: KBC

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