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NAIROBI CITY RAIL GOES AHEAD

Posted on 13 August 2010 by Railways Africa Editor

Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) has advertised for contractors to build a new station in Nairobi. “We expect construction to start in the next 60 days,” managing director Nduva Muli told the newspaper the Nation. The facility will be “somewhere along Mombasa Road” and is to include a shopping centre, carpark and bus terminus.

“We are implementing the project with government support,” Muli was quoted saying, “and plan to put up others at Imara Daima, Makadara and the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).” Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta has allocated Sh1.9 billion in this year’s budget to finance railway upgrading.

The first phase of the project, which was allocated Sh600 million in the 2009/10 budget for feasibility studies, will involve the rehabilitation of about 160km of the existing rail system within Nairobi. About 7km of new track is to be built to JKIA’s Unit 3, and stations and other facilities on the network are to be rehabilitated. Work is expected to be finished by early 2012.

As a public-private partnership project, the government intends to own, upgrade and maintain the track as well as stations and the signalling system, while the private sector operates the trains. A regular and efficient commuter service is envisaged, using coaches designed to carry a maximum of 200 passengers. Most trains will consist of eight coaches, giving a total capacity of 1,600 passengers per train.

Compared with current passenger totals of about 20,000 passengers daily, it is expected that 200,000 will be moved once the Sh24 billion project is complete.

“We expect construction to start in the next 60 days,”

and

“somewhere along Mombasa Road” and is to include a shopping centre, carpark and bus terminus.

Going to start construction of a project that includes a railway station, a shopping centre, a car park and a bus terminus, all in the next 60 days and the location hasn't yet been defined?
South Africa pulled off some amazing construction fast-tracks and miracles for the World Cup, but the time frame suggested here surpasses that by a long, long way. To plan all of that on a site not yet determined, and get the ground tests, access layouts, approvals, tenders completed and adjudicated in that time-frame would require direct communication with a suite of higher beings!

using coaches designed to carry a maximum of 200 passengers.

Seats and standing room on the roof?

Maybe they mean that the project will start within 60 days, rather than actual construction? Or that renovation of some of the track can begin immediately when a contractor has been selected, even though not all the detailed plans are complete.

200 seats could be double-decker coaches, as are common in many countries, or maybe they mean articulated sets.

BOND ISSUE TO HELP FUND NAIROBI LINE

Posted on 20 August 2010 by Railways Africa Editor

Kenya Railway Corporation (KRC) plans to issue bonds to fund part of a $US200 million upgrade to the rail system in the capital Nairobi, Mugo Kibati, head of the government’s long-term development plan (“Vision 2030”), told reporters on 16 August.

A new 7km rail line is to link the capital’s airport to the city centre. The project includes upgrading 160km of existing track in Nairobi. Kenya’s Treasury has allocated $23.65 million this fiscal year (July-June) for the work. “We expect construction to start in the next 60 days,” KRC managing director Nduva Muli said on 16 August.