The government has intensified plans to decongest Nairobi city by rehabilitating 10 commuter railway stations.
The program has seen the government improve the 10 busiest commuter railway stations that is
with eight already complete and ready for handing over. The remaining two, Donholm and Athi River are expected to be complete by March 2020.
The Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban development Director of Administration, Mabeya Mogaka said that the move is aimed at easing congestion in Nairobi by making railway commuter transport enjoyable and a choice for many people in Nairobi.
“Kenya Railways is working with Safaricom so that they can have a connectivity with the soon to be launched Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system where one pays for one ticket and they can seamlessly use it in the train and connect with the BRT to their final destination and vice versa,” said Mogaka.
Speaking on Wednesday at Kahawa commuter train station during the County Development Implementation and Coordination Committee (CDICC) tour of the project, Mogaka said that the development encompasses tight security where people can park their vehicles and board the train into Nairobi and they come back and find their vehicles safe.
“We want a situation where people coming from the Central Kenya region can park their vehicle at the Ruiru station and board a train, people from Mombasa and Eastern region like Machakos can park at Athi River and come into town with a train,” he explained.
A director at the Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU), Kinoti Gatobu said that plans are also underway to improve the railway lines to make them smooth since some are very bumpy.
Gatobu said that the stations have been modernized and they will have automatic ticketing, CCTV camera monitoring, server rooms as well as security screening areas.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
