Extension of 24km meter-gauge railway from Mai Mahiu Depot to Longonot town is complete

NAKURU, Kenya, Sept 24 – The transportation of cargo from the Mai Mahiu Inland Container Depot (ICD) is expected to boost trade following the completion of the extension of the 24km meter-gauge railway to Longonot town in Naivasha.

The evacuation of cargo from Mai Mahiu to Malaba is expected to reduce the number of days used in ferrying goods from the Port of Mombasa to Uganda.

The parliamentary committee on finance and planning visited the ICD and the meter-gauge railway line following concerns over the profitability of the project as the Kenya Railways embarked on a test trial for the Sh3.5 billion railway line.

The project was being spearheaded by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).

“The extension of the 24km meter-gauge railway is now complete and once we are through with the trials we shall commission the line in November. Thirty percent of cargo on our roads is destined for regional countries and with the connectivity complete we expect to use the railway line to ferry this cargo,” said Kenya Railways managing director Phillip Mainga.

Rail transport is said to be faster than road by at least 10 days as goods will now be transported across the East African region.

While addressing members of the press after touring the line and the inland container depot, Mainga said that connectivity challenges had initially plagued the evacuation of goods across the region.

The amount cargo being ferried on the rail network is expected to increase exponentially with Mainga saying at least 4 million tonnes of cargo has been transported through the network since 2017.

Despite initially profitability concerns, Wajir South MP Mohammed Sheikh Mohammed who is a member of the committee said that they will still seek to establish the full cost, transparency and effectiveness of the new railway line.

“Kenya is now an economic hub for the region and the rehabilitation of the railway line is an investment for the future,” he said.

“Once the rehabilitation of the railway line is complete, it will open up trade between the Western region and neighboring countries of Uganda and Tanzania,” Said Kisumu Town East Mp Shakeel Shabir.

The revamped network is now expected to spur economic growth across the region.