A train hostess waits to usher in commutters to a DMU at the newly refurbished Nairobi Central Railway Station on November 10. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NMG
The trains comprising four coaches and capable of being driven from either direction will begin operating from Wednesday and ply 10 modernised railway termini including Syokimau, Makadara, Pipeline, Donholm, Imara Daima and Embakasi Village.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, while launching the diesel trains, said they would boost the economy after the Sh6.6 billion renovation of rail lines and stations as well as the new ticketing system that will eliminate fare evasion which has dogged the previous commuter system.
The trains will complement the existing locomotives serving the Nairobi region are expected to drive the rise of commuter numbers to 132,000 after further expansion of tracks and addition of locomotives.
Kenya Railways Tuesday launched faster trains imported from Spain to serve Nairobi commuters and more than double passenger traffic from 15,000 to 40,000.
The trains comprising four coaches and capable of being driven from either direction will begin operating from Wednesday and ply 10 modernised railway termini including Syokimau, Makadara, Pipeline, Donholm, Imara Daima and Embakasi Village.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, while launching the diesel trains, said they would boost the economy after the Sh6.6 billion renovation of rail lines and stations as well as the new ticketing system that will eliminate fare evasion which has dogged the previous commuter system.
“We want to reduce the over-reliance in the road transport, which is hurting our productivity through delays and congestion. We lose between Sh80 million and Sh400 million per month in traffic time and there has been a need for a faster and cheaper alternative for this city,” Mr Kenyatta said.
The trains will complement the existing locomotives serving the Nairobi region are expected to drive the rise of commuter numbers to 132,000 after further expansion of tracks and addition of locomotives.
The Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) will mainly operate from Syokimau and Embakasi Village stations from as early as 6:30am to as late as 8:30pm, making an average of eleven trips for each direction.
The earliest in the schedule will be the Embakasi Village-Nairobi station, which will leave at 6:20am to arrive at 6:53am.
This will be followed by other trains from the same station at close to hourly intervals with the last one leaving at 7:15pm.
Another early train will be the 6:45am Syokimau-Nairobi train making stops at Imara Daima and Makadara to arrive at 7:20am.
The Syokimau to Nairobi commuter train will continue operating from 6:20 am as well to arrive at the city centre at 6:53am.
The reconditioned trains are part of the Master Plan of an integrated commuter system within the city and will be linked to the e Bus Rapid Transit connecting from the Nairobi Central Station.
The DMUs can carry a maximum 128 seated and 130 standing passengers at full capacity. That at maximum coupling of coaches, the trains can only carry 774 passengers.
World Bank sponsored consultants who carried out a five-year demand analysis of the five commuter train corridors in Nairobi estimated the optimal number of passengers to be ferried by trains per day at 132,000, assuming 60 per cent vehicle occupancy.
At full occupancy the number would hit up to 220,000 passengers per day.
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