Kenya Railways Improvement Should now hit Global Levels
After the milestone unveiling of the new wagon for the Ksh1, 500 economy class of Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) trains Kenya Railways now stairs straight into the face of a new transitional path that set it to unprecedented competitive heights in the transport sector.
Moreso,after monitoring the work being done by KR under the leadership of Managing Director Philip Mainga,I am persuaded that the transport agency has made substantial gains that have helped it recover its lost glory.
Alot of benchmarking has been done in efforts to bring home the best practices in the industry and their can’t be a better place to learn from if not Paris.While Nairobi has got too many shortcoming in terms of urban planning,there is alot Mainga and KR can still adopt from the best in the world.
Paris boasts of a large railway terminals that serve the French railway network, first built in the 19th century. We are talking about High-speed trains that link the capital with most parts of France; they also run from Paris to London, via the Channel Tunnel, and to neighbouring countries on the Continent.
Unbelievably so,this railway line links more than three hundred stations, some of which have had trains since 1900, and with a total length of over two hundred kilometers, it is one of the world’s busiest but also best-functioning transport systems.
Starting with Nairobi,where KR has plans to ease transport within the cosmopolitan are and it’s satellite towns,Paris has shown its abundance of regular and reliable public transportation systems, both getting to Paris and traveling around the city is easy. From exploring the city’s attractions to office or college commuting, one is never far from a convenient method of transport.
There is no doubt that KR has the best public transportation in the East African region and Nairobi is at the heart of it with the advanced and improved railway routes that link the cosmopolitan areas to the Central Business District.
What KR needs to do is to actualise its ambitious Sh948 billion five-year plan which was unveiled in February this year.
The plan that highlights key areas that need change like overhauling some of the railway infrastructure, constructing more than 2,700 kilometers of new railway lines, and establishing two railway cities in Nairobi and Eldoret is a game changer.
The amazing plan emphasizes that for the five-year period until the 2027/28 financial year,KR aims to construct 2,795KM of new Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) during the five-year period, marking an ambitious target given that the country currently has 622KM of SGR, comprising the 472KM Mombasa-Nairobi line and the 150KM Nairobi-Naivasha line.
This is an investment worth every penny that will surge Kenya forward and raise its regional prowess in cargo transport.
These new SGR lines as per the plan include SGR Phase 2B and 2C from Naivasha to Kisumu (269KM) and Kisumu to Malaba (107KM), along with the railway line along the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transit (Lapsset) corridor.
The economy will also benefit from the expansion of the Metre Gauge Railway network by 88 kilometres, upgrading 315 kilometres of MGR, and rehabilitation of another 1039.6 kilometres of the old railway network.
The focus for Mainga and team for now should be the completion of the central railway station before moving to other towns.
That KR also seeks to increase the rail market share port throughput from 26 percent to 42 percent by 2027 is also worth mentioning but the future can only hold to its good if the corporation remains corruption free,dedicated and focused on its plan.
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