Kenya is about five months to the commissioning of
its Chinese funded rail connection between its capital of Nairobi and the port
city of Mombasa.
The
472-kilometer railway is 90 per cent funded by Chinese Exim Bank. The
commissioning is scheduled for June 2017. The project will cost $3.8billion.
In readiness,
a batch of modern hybrid long-distance passenger trains for the Standard Gauge
Railway (SGR), will arrive in the country in February, a railway official said.
Kenya Railways
Managing Director, Atanas Maina, said the five passenger locomotives are part
of the 56 locomotives expected in the country prior to the launch of the SGR in
June.
“These
passenger locomotives will cut down a 12-hour journey from Nairobi to Mombasa
to just over four hours. Furthermore, the line will result in significant cuts
in journey times between Kenya, Uganda and eventually to Kigali, in Rwanda,”
Maina said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
The government
anticipates that incomes for ordinary Kenyans will rise substantially while the
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will increase by 1.5 percent.
Maina said the
ultra-modern 6,000 litres of diesel powered locomotives can run at a top speed
of 158 kilometres per hour and have an overall length of 220 meters.
He said Kenya
Railways will receive 40 passenger coaches which will have varying capacities
with the economy class accommodating 118 passengers in each coach and 72 in the
First-Class coach.
Its low-weight
and optimized aerodynamic design will reduce fuel consumption substantially.
“These
passenger locos will usher Kenya into in a new era: it is the backbone of our
future long-distance transport system, linking up more and more, towns, cities
and countries,” Maina said.
He said the
locomotives and rolling stock of the SGR project have been manufactured by
China’s CRRC Corporation Limited.
CRRC’s market
share is over 60 percent in China, and has also already exported locomotives,
rolling stock and related products to other countries such as Venezuela,
Tanzania, Guinea, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, etc.
“With these
passenger locomotives, we are crossing technical and geographic borders. The
powerful engine with nominal power of up to 3,040 kW offers the traction that
we need on the East African terrains,” Maina said.
He said apart
from an excellent interior, passengers on both First Class and Economy Class
will enjoy air conditioning, Wi-Fi, social amenities and catering facilities,
among other comforts.
Experts say
agriculture and manufacturing sectors will be greatest beneficiaries of the SGR
project.
Kenya
anticipates vibrant cross-border trade in goods and services upon completion of
the Chinese-funded modern railway and thus hasten Kenya’s industrialization
process and boost its competitiveness in a globalized world.
NAN
0 Comments