KR seeks investors to offer services at Syokimau station
Kenya Railways is seeking operators of shops and restaurants at the corporation’s new Syokimau Railway Station that will start operating in April 2012.
The new station is the first project of the rail upgrade planned to offer commuter services between the city centre and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
The project is part of the broader infrastructure development aimed at easing traffic congestion in the city.
The train service is also expected to serve commuters from Mlolongo, Athi River and Kitengela.
“We invite interested companies to let commercial space at Syokimau Railway Station available from April 2012,” said the notice by Kenya Railways in the local dailies on Friday.
The station includes 2,000 parking slots planned to serve commuters driving their vehicles to take the train to the city centre. Kenya Railways said trains will be picking commuters at intervals of 30 minutes.
However, the launch in April will not include the JKIA services because the railway line linking the station to the airport is yet to be done because the government is yet to decide how it would cross Mombasa Road — either through an underground pass or a bridge.
The Ministry of Transport has reportedly commissioned a study to advise the cabinet on the best option.
Earlier, Transport PS Cyrus Njiru said an elevated crossing was being considered after the idea of the underground pass was abandoned due to its high cost — it was estimated to cost Sh3.2 billion. Elevated cross over would cost Sh1.6 billion.
The government has spent Sh400 million to build the Syokimau station, which would be linked to the airport by a 6.2km rail line and a two-kilometre connection to the old railway line at the Embakasi station.
To accommodate the change, Kenya Railways said the Nairobi Railways Station would be rehabilitated, meaning the terminus for matatus plying the western suburbs of the city are likely to be relocated.
Kenya Railways said the new commuter train would travel at 100km per hour.
The station is among the 10 that the railway company will build within Nairobi.
“We are providing the infrastructure and plan to invite the private sector to provide the new train sets and operational expertise,” said Kenya Railways managing director Nduva Muli in an earlier interview.
He said the firm was working with donor-funded consultancy group InfraCo on the project. InfraCo is meant to ensure that the due diligence is followed throughout the project so that it attracts the private sector. The initiative involves repair of 160km of the existing railway system.
The proposed commuter rail transport upgrade is expected to decongest Mombasa and Outering roads while greatly easing access to JKIA and enhancing the status of Nairobi as a regional transit hub.
Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta set aside Sh1.85 billion for the railway link to the airport during this year’s Budget. He also allocated Sh1 billion to upgrade the Thika-Nairobi commuter railway system.
According to the draft planning concept for Nairobi metropolitan released in April, the railway system would incorporate modern technology and would be of standard gauge.
About 60 per cent of the world’s existing railway lines are built according to a common standardised measure (gauge).
Although Rift Valley Railways has monopoly of commuter train services in Nairobi for the next five years by way of concession, Mr Nduva said the two companies would be jointly involved in infrastructure upgrade and sharing.
Last week, the corporation announced Sh3.2 billion project to relocate families living near the railway line in Kibera and Mukuru slums from next January.
The project would see construction of more than 3,000 housing units for people displaced.
This would be one of the highest number of housing slum upgrade that dwarfs a similar one by the government in Kibera that has so far delivered 300 apartments.
The project would benefit at least 9,000 families through modern houses and business stalls.
