Friends of the Rail Forum

The Cabinet has approved a Sh2.5 billion budget for the upgrade of the Nairobi commuter railway network, paving the way for importation of faster trains from Spain. The move is aimed at growing the use of railway transport in the capital city... The corporation forecasts that passenger numbers will grow by up to 10 times from the current 13,000 per day after the upgrade... "We have the budget now cleared for the upgrade of the commuter lines and we are planning to create a park and ride concept where people can leave their cars at the stations and take the train to town... In about three months the work should be well under way and we will soon be tendering for a contractor to be engaged"... Kenya Railways has been looking to expand its ‘’park and ride’’ concept, which was only implemented at a few stations like Syokimau and Imara Daima...

The railway lines spanning about 120 kilometres have been in use since 1992 when the Nairobi commuter railway (NCR) service was introduced as an addition to the long distance passenger services. The 65-kilometre tracks have deteriorated over time due to poor maintenance, making railway transport slow and less attractive to Nairobi commuters who prefer matatus. The upgrade will target all the five commuter lines from Nairobi Railway Station to Embakasi Village, Syokimau, Ruiru, Kahawa and Kikuyu as well as an upgrade of the Nairobi Central Station...