Economy

Nairobi Railway Station set for facelift to ease traffic congestion

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Touts at the Nairobi Railway commuter terminal. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The Nairobi Railway Station is set for a facelift as City Hall seeks to redesign it into a multi-channel transport hub.

Land, Urban planning, Urban Renewal and Housing County executive Wachira Njuguna said the development will be governor Mike Sonko’s flagship project that will ease traffic congestion and fast track movement of people in and out of city centre.

“The aim of the project is to fully align the planning of the Nairobi Central Station area with the Nairobi Integrated Urban Development Master Plan.

A team comprising Kenya Railways, City County Government, Urban and Metropolitan Development Directorate, Land ministry and the Housing and Urban Department official is currently working on the design.

The project will look into facilities to be erected within the railway station’s 213 acres transforming the old Nairobi Railway yard into a transport hub for commuters as well as long distance travellers.

Speaking in Nairobi, architect Njuguna said the master plan had been assigned a substantive directorate to oversee implementation of the project.

Thet project land has access to Uhuru Highway, Bunyala and Landhies roads as well as Haile Selassie Avenue, all adjacent to the Nairobi Central Business District.

Currently, most of the land is occupied by Nairobi Railway station, yards, workshops and includes neighbouring plots belonging to the corporation.

Mr Njuguna did not ,however, give a timeline for the implementation of the project.