Kenya railway news
News about railway and urban rail infrastructure, operations, policy, projects and the supply industry in Kenya.
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NewsMore coaches to boost capacity on Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway
KENYA: A further 20 coaches which CRRC Nanjing Puzhen is supplying to increase capacity on the 480 km Standard Gauge Railway route from Mombasa to Nairobi were shipped from Shanghai at the end of June. The contract signed in September covers a mix of first, second ...
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NewsNairobi battery commuter train study
KENYA: Consultancy Systra has undertaken a study into the potential use of battery-powered trains on commuter services between Nairobi and Thika, around 40 km to the northeast. The study presented to Kenya Railways and World Bank officials in April looked at what would be involved in ...
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NewsKenya Railways sets out strategic plan for 2023-27
KENYA: Kenya Railways has launched its strategic plan for 2023-27, setting out a medium-term policy, legal, institutional and regulatory framework to transform itself into the ’leading transport service provider in the region’. The plan includes developing and upgrading rail infrastructure, increasing freight and passenger capacity, expanding ...
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NewsNairobi suburban railway construction launched
KENYA: President William Ruto has officially launched construction of the Riruta – Ngong commuter rail line, which is being built to relieve road congestion and lower transport costs in Nairobi. The metre-gauge line is being built by China Road & Bridge Corp under a contract awarded ...
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NewsLake Victoria train ferry launched
KENYA: President Uhuru Kenyatta attended the launch of the train ferry Uhuru II at Kisumu on Lake Victoria in early August. The 100 m long, 1 800 tonne ship with a capacity to carry up to 22 metre gauge wagons has been ...
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NewsNairobi Central station designs completed
KENYA: Final designs for a new Nairobi Central station have been completed by Atkins UK for Kenya Railways and the Ministry of Transport. In January 2020 President Uhuru Kenyatta asked for British support for the Nairobi Railway City & Central Station programme to expand and decongest ...
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NewsSGR operating contract to be terminated
KENYA: The government has given notice that it intend to transfer control of operations on the country’s standard-gauge railway to Kenya Railway Corp from May 2022.
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NewsKenyatta inaugurates Nairobi commuter DMU service
KENYA: The five diesel multiple-units procured by Kenya Railways Corp to expand its Nairobi commuter operations were formally launched into service on November 10. The first train was flagged off at Nairobi Central Station by President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was joined at the ...
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In depthKenya: The lion stirs again
With expansion of the Chinese-backed standard-gauge railway currently on hold, Kenya Railways Corp has turned its attention to revitalising key sections of its ageing metre-gauge network. Chris Jackson investigates.
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NewsNairobi DMU deal signed
KENYA: The much-delayed contract for Kenya Railways to purchase 11 second-hand DMUs from Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca to operate commuter services around Nairobi was formally signed by KR Managing Director Phillip Mainga during a visit to the Balearic island on March 2.
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NewsKenyatta inaugurates SGR Phase 2A
KENYA: The next 120 km section of the Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway was formally inaugurated by President Uhuru Kenyatta on October 16. Running from the Nairobi SGR station at Embakasi to a temporary terminus at Suswa, 35 km southwest of Naivasha, the extension takes the 1 435 ...
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Country profileKenya, Tanzania & Uganda - country map
Kenya, Tanzania & Uganda: national rail network map
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Organisations
Ministry of Roads & Transport, Kenya
The responsibilities of the Minister extend to all matters relating to rail, road, air and sea transport; meteorological services; civil aviation; posts and telecommunications; ports and shipping. The ministry operates under two state departments, with the State Department of Transport containing the Railways Division. AddressTranscom HousePO Box 52692-00200Ngong RoadNairobiKenyaPhone+254 020 ...
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Organisations
Kenya Railways Corp (KRC)
The original line in Kenya opened from Mombasa to Kisumu on Lake Victoria in 1901. East African Railways & Harbours Administration was set up in 1948; it was divided into national railways for Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in 1977. Rift Valley Railways won the concession to operate the Kampala-Mombasa metre-gauge ...
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NewsStandard gauge plans on hold in Kenya
KENYA: Little more than a year after the opening of the Chinese-built 1 435 mm gauge railway between Mombasa and Nairobi, there are signs that East Africa’s love affair with China’s Belt & Road Initiative may be waning. On May 8, Kenya’s Transport & Infrastructure Minister James Macharia and ...
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NewsMombasa – Nairobi standard gauge freight service launched
KENYA: The first commercial freight train on the Standard Gauge Railway ran from Mombasa to the Embakasi Inland Container Depot in Nairobi on January 1. The 52-wagon train carried 104 TEU, which the operator pointed out was ‘almost equivalent to the trucks operating daily on the Mombasa – Nairobi highway.’ ...
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NewsTermination of Rift Valley Railways concession agreed
KENYA: The termination of Rift Valley Railways’ concession to operate the Kenyan section of the metre gauge Kenya – Uganda railway network has been agreed ‘by joint consent’ after the high court in Nairobi backed Kenya Railways’ attempts to end the contract. KR had sought to end the concession in ...
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NewsMombasa – Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway opened
KENYA: President Uhuru Kenyatta officially opened the 472 km Standard Gauge Railway between the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa and Nairobi on May 31, travelling on the inaugural Madaraka Express passenger service. The previous evening he had launched an inaugural freight train from Port Reitz in Mombasa, waving a giant ...
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NewsNairobi moves ahead with transport plans
KENYA: President Uhuru Kenyatta issued an executive order on February 9 creating the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority. Covering the counties of Nairobi City, Kiambu, Kajiado, Machakos and Murang’a, NMATA aims to formulate a ‘sustainable integrated public transport strategy’ based on bus rapid transit and commuter rail routes. It ...
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NewsKenya – Uganda construction timescale agreed
AFRICA: Meeting in Nairobi on February 2, ministers from Kenya and Uganda agreed a ‘synchronised’ timescale for construction of the 1 435 mm gauge railway planned to link the two countries. Signed by Uganda’s Finance Minister Matla Kasila, Kenya’s Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich and Transport & Urban Development Secretary James ...