Will SGR trains deliver the promise of seamless transport, economic growth?

Imagine boarding a train at dawn in Nairobi to attend a breakfast meeting in Mombasa and by early afternoon, you are back for your day-to-day business in the city. That sounds revolutionary for a country where travelling one-way by train is currently a whole day experience.

Or picture a case where many of the little-known towns along the Mombasa-Nairobi route have suddenly become commercial and manufacturing hubs, something that has eluded them since Independence more than 50 years ago.

Only four months to the launch of Kenya’s fast Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) train, there appears to be no let up in feel good promises as State officials continue to paint a picture of an efficient modern transport system that awaits the country as it prepares to put the new line to use.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to celebrate this year’s Madaraka Day by riding on the fast train from Mombasa to Nairobi on June 1.

The Kenya Railways Corporation (KR) said the Intercity Express, the passenger train plying the 472km Mombasa-Nairobi route will take an estimated four and a half hours.

The agency’s chief executive, Atanas Maina, said the train will only stop at Mtito Andei, creating a seamless flow of passengers between Nairobi and Mombasa.

Passengers travelling to other towns between Nairobi and Mombasa will have to rely on the second option, the Inter-County service which will make seven stops at Mariakani, Miasenyi, Voi, Mtito Andei, Kibwezi, Emali and Athi River, said Mr Maina.

“We plan to have nine stops along major railway stations at intermediate passenger stations,” said Mr Maina.

“The passenger train will stop for a maximum of five to 10 minutes at every station.”

At its maximum speed of 120km per hour (kph), the train can cover the 472 km from Mombasa to the outskirts of Nairobi in four hours if it doesn’t have to stop.

Observers, however, see the train moving at an average speed of 80kph arguing that it would be impossible to maintain maximum speed through the whole distance. If the “practical average speed” is taken, it will roughly take six hours to cover the distance. And since the train does not stop at high speed, taking a couple minutes to slow down, and together with a maximum of 10 minutes stop in each of the seven chosen stations, at least two hours extra is likely to be lost between Mombasa and Nairobi.

The cargo fleet are expected to maintain “an average practical speed” of 60 km per hour. That will translate to eight hours or effectively 10 hours if time lost in slowing down and stopovers are to be factored in.

At the moment, train moves on the century-old track at an average speed of 25km per hour with the 472-km journey lasting a minimum 18 hours.
In an interview with the Business Daily, however, Mr Maina said that operations and maintenance consultants had been hired to work out logistic issues that will help drive traffic along the new route while creating demand for goods and services along major towns in the eight counties that accommodate the SGR facility.

“Demand will dictate frequency of the trains that are capable of doing three trips a day. The Nairobi-Mombasa train will start operations at 4am to be in Mombasa by 9am and back to Nairobi at 3pm. It will then end its journey in Mombasa at 8pm,” he said.

During the holiday season, Mr Maina said local tourism is expected to enjoy a boom that will see more passenger trains added to the Nairobi-Mombasa route and back.

For cargo haulage, more trains will be in operation between Nairobi and Mombasa thereby helping spur manufacturing activities at various factories based at various sites within and outside special economic zones.

A 100-acre inland container depot has since been constructed at Syokimau where heavy load cranes are also under installation to facilitate a seamless loading and unloading.

Free Wi-Fi

To facilitate a seamless operation along the single track, every locomotive has been fitted with communication and tracking gadgets enabling SGR operators to monitor their movement and advised accordingly.

This has seen China Road and Bridge Construction (CRBC) construct 33 crossing (passing) stations where locomotives will use multiple railway lanes.

KR has ordered for eight shunting locomotives to be located at major railway stations to facilitate a faster realignment of cargo placed on 12,620 flat and covered wagons, 43 cargo locomotives and five passenger locomotives as well as 40 luxury and economic class passenger coaches.

With each passenger coach fitted with colour television screens, tech-savvy Kenyans who prefer to use their tablets, smartphones or laptops on the move will be in for a major treat as they enjoy free Wi-Fi services.

This could also spur inter-county trade where people live in one region, but trade and attend school or work in other counties.

Goods could also be manufactured in a low cost county to be transported to a populous county far away daily in a seamless and affordable way.

Mr Maina allayed fears of job losses saying SGR services will jolt output for the Mombasa Port from 1.6 million twenty foot equivalent containers a year to 22 million containers that will need to be moved further inward to fuel industrial growth and construction across the region through Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and DRC Congo.

Unlike in the past when manual (paper-based) manifests were used to track and clear cargo, a digital realtime system will be in use, helping fast-track the process as well as eliminating fraud.

This will be completed by biometric access cards for SGR workers at every point that will be sealed from the public.

“We anticipate the demand for trucks to rise as they will have to be used to complement work done by SGR cargo trains. If a cargo locomotive moves 216 containers from Nairobi to Mombasa at a go, then it means we need a similar number of trucks to move them out of Nairobi within the shortest time possible to create time for more cargo,” he adds.

Interestingly, while the government facilitates movement of cargo, the entire business will be driven by private sector players expected to expand their operations, with new franchises that will consume the imports and churn out processed goods for export.

To help actualise the dream, KR has since concessioned SGR operation to a Chinese company in which Kenyans will be incorporated in its management ahead of full takeover in five years.