Flat wagons being transported from the port of Mombasa. [Photo/nation.co.ke]
The Kenya Railways has received additional 17 freight locomotives, six shunting locomotives, 50 flat wagons for containers and four unit cranes for the standard gauge railway (SGR).
The consignment was offloaded under the supervision of the Principal Secretary, Transport, Prof. Paul. M. Maringa, Kenya Railways engineers, China Road and Bridge Corporation, the EPC contractor for Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway project, and the project supervisor, TSDI-APEC-EDON Consortium (TAEC).
The locomotives will provide a vital service to the Nation and help address the growing congestion on the roads in the country, with operations on the line expected to stimulate economic activity especially in the areas traversed by the Standard Gauge Railway line.
Speaking at the Mombasa port, Mwangi said the government was keen on optimising SGR for freight transport locally and within the region.
“The SGR is the backbone of Kenya’s multi-modal infrastructure development and thus it will play a key role is spurring economic growth. It is expected that freight uptake via SGR will considerably increase rail transport capacity from the port once the operations commence in December 2017 and in accordance with the commitment made in the Mombasa Port Community Charter signed in June 2014,” he explained.
So far, Kenya Railways has received 25 freight locomotives out of the 43 on order, the full order of five passenger and eight shunting locomotives and all the 40 passenger coaches.
At least 763 wagons out of the 1,620 on order have been delivered. The passenger service is scheduled to kick off on May 31.