Friends of the Rail Forum

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.

SFM’s metre-gauge Class 61 DMUs built by CAF in 1995-2003 were put up for sale as surplus to requirements following the completion of 1·5 kV DC electrification from Enllaç to Sa Pobla in January 2019. Several have already been sold to companies in France and Portugal.

Following a technical assessment of their condition and ‘operational suitability’, Kenya’s Ministry of Transport agreed to buy 11 two-car units and five spare vehicles under a KSh1·15bn deal including spare parts. KR pointed out that this would be around 10% of the cost of new stock, adding that the CAF units could be expected to operate for a further 20 to 25 years. At that stage it was envisaged that the DMUs would be delivered by mid-2019.

The acquisition forms part of a master plan to expand commuter services on five routes radiating from the Kenyan capital, in a bid to reduce traffic congestion. The objective is to increase capacity from 13 000 to 132 000 passengers a day by 2022. As well as procuring the DMUs, KR will refurbish 20 loco-hauled coaches to augment the 40 that it currently deploys on suburban services, and build nine new stations...

Nairobi matatu traffic flow could ease after the government signed a deal to import 11 diesel-propelled commuter trains from a Spanish operator, with the initial five set to arrive in two months.

Once shipped to Kenya, the Sh1.1 billion trains will immediately be deployed on the Nairobi-Embakasi, Nairobi-Ruiru, Nairobi-Kikuyu and Nairobi-Syokimau routes as well as the busy Nairobi-Athi River route...