Rift Valley Railways (RVR) locomotive instructor Jacob Nguli (standing) guides Godfrey Wanga, a driver, through the controls of the train simulator. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
The platform offers a real-life view of the Kenya-Uganda railway line which assists the trainee drivers to master skills such as navigating sharp bends, changing tracks at stations and following road signals along the railway.
The firm is betting on the technology to improve drivers’ skills and performance as well as train operating efficiency
Rift Valley Railways (RVR) on Wednesday unveiled a Sh160 million train simulator that it is currently using to train a team of 135 locomotive drivers.
The platform offers a real-life view of the Kenya-Uganda railway line which assists the trainee drivers to master skills such as navigating sharp bends, changing tracks at stations and following road signals along the railway.
RVR is betting on the technology to improve drivers’ skills and performance as well as train operating efficiency which in turn cuts the transit time for ferrying goods and services on the railway.
The training is also expected to reduce the number of accidents, cut transit time and lower fuel consumption, according to Kahiga Wanderi, RVR senior systems specialist.
“A topography team mapped our entire mainline track from Mombasa to Kampala which means drivers can have a true-life experience of driving on the railway before getting into a train,” said Mr Wanderi.
The trainee drivers navigate the virtual train through a large video display of the track while an on-board computer monitors and helps the drivers to operate the train.
The simulator is manufactured by New York Air Brake Corporation, a supplier of train control systems for the railroad industry.
The training of the drivers comes ahead of RVR’s planned acquisition of 20 American-built locomotives over the next five months.
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