0
0
The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), Kenya’s most expensive infrastructure project, has generated Sh91 billion since 2017, carrying more than 10 million passengers and 26 million tonnes of cargo, data shows.
Kenya Railways MD, Philip Mainga,has defended the construction costs saying SGR has had an impact on Kenya’s economy.
“The macro effect of the SGR, which has a life span of 150 years, far outweighs the direct cost of construction over time,” Mr Mainga said.
China Road and Bridge Corporation was involved in the first phase of the project from Mombasa to Nairobi while China Communication Construction Company won the contract for Nairobi-Naivasha line.
Mr Mainga says there are plans to have the railway electrified, with availability of stable power supply being a key factor in determining the time for such a plan.
“Construction and installation of facilities to support electric traction will be done once the cargo volume reaches the threshold for electric traction,” the Kenya Railways boss says.
The passenger side of the business has been lauded as it reduced the amount spent on the road from almost ten hours to around six hours.
Kenya Railways says the service has so far has run 10,109 passenger trains transporting over 10 million passengers since 2017.
Mr Mainga says business to the Naivasha Inland Container Depot (ICD) has seen an increase in volumes of cargo despite President William Ruto’s ordering that cargo clearance be reverted to Mombasa.
“In spite of the directive, the freight service registered an increase in the volumes of cargo moved, from 1,982 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in 2021/2022 year to 3,511 TEUs in 2022/2023,” he says.
The Kenya Railways boss says the Naivasha ICD handles containerised goods and transits conventional cargo, including steel and wheat.
