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Chinese contractor urges locals to avoid railway corridor
A section of the Standard Gauge Railway running through Makueni County. FILE PHOTO | SALATON NJAU
The Chinese contractor building the new railway line has cautioned residents neighbouring the infrastructure to stay away from it to be safe.
In a campaign that China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) started on Friday, residents along the Nairobi-Mombasa section of the railway line are warned that the railway corridor is out of bounds for locals.
In notices mounted in market centres along the Standard Gauge Railway project in Makueni County that are addressed to residents, CRBC notes that while the railway line is fully enclosed, "some residents along the line, unaware of the danger inside the railway corridor, trespass, walk, sit, lie, play, graze livestock, watch the construction within the railway corridor, and even vandalise railway facilities.
"All these behaviours may bring about irreversible loss of life and property," reads the notices written both in English and Mandarin.
Accompanied by local administrators, CRBC officials addressed residents in Kinyambu, Kiunduani and Makindu townships and urged them to heed the notices to avoid injuries and train accidents once the railway line becomes operational.
Safety campaign
The safety campaign targets motorists, pedestrians, school-going children and pastoral communities.
"While passing a level crossing, strictly comply with the practice of 'stop, watch, and then cross', and pedestrians and automobiles are prohibited to cut in.
"Pedestrians should take a flyover to pass a railway line, rather than cross the track in a rush before trains or go under trains that stop there," reads the notices in part.
The campaign also calls upon parents and schools to ensure that children do not romp on the railway line or around the railway station yards to avoid injuries.
School-going children are prohibited from crossing the railway tracks directly and instead should go through existing culverts and pedestrian fly overs, directs the notice.
Pastoral communities are warned against grazing their animals within the railway corridor.
Auxiliary installations
Already, laying of the railway tracks is complete on the Mombasa-Nairobi section of the railway project and CRBC is currently installing auxiliary installations such as telecommunication masts.
In sections of Makueni and Kajiado counties, the contractor has run into headwinds with residents opposing the fencing of the railway corridor.
The residents claim that by fencing the corridor, Kenya Railways Corporation interferes with their lifestyles and economic activities.
However, KRC has defended the fencing saying that it enhances the safety of residents from the high-speed trains.
According to KRC managing director Athanas Maina, cargo trains on the Standard Gauge Railway line will travel at speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour while passenger trains will be travelling at speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour.
"We are going to extend the safety campaign to all other areas where the railway line passes," a CRBC liaison officer Mr Amos Musyoki told the Nation.
Through the campaign, CRBC aims at ensuring the safety of residents, prevent train accidents, and protect the railway installations, he said.
According to Kenya Railways Corporation, the new railway line will be completed by July this year.
