The Revival of the Nanyuki-Nairobi old railway line is on course and it will be ready for use within the set deadlines, the Kenya Railways Corporation Managing Director, Philip Mainga has assured.
Mainga said that the 240 kilometre railway line repairs was being undertaken by two teams, one working from Nairobi to Maragua while the second team is working from Nanyuki all the way to Sagana.
Speaking on Tuesday at the Nanyuki terminus where he led the corporation officials in inspecting the repair works, Mainga added that early this week, one locomotive engine, one coach and four flat wagons were delivered to the terminus from Nairobi to aid in the speedy rehabilitation of the metre gauge railway line.
“We had to transport the locomotive and the wagons by road since there are some sections of the railway line in Maragua that are damaged and require serious repair works and at the same time we need to hasten the process even to other sections,” the Managing Director said.
He added that the repair teams were opening-up drainage system along the railway by replacing culverts, lifting the line where rivers and streams had blocked it and also ballasting the tracks.
“We are happy that the line from Nanyuki all the way to Sagana is in good condition and we hope within a few weeks, we shall have completed the rehabilitation as we work on other damaged sections to restore the line fully,” Mainga added.
The Sh.3 billion rehabilitation works of the metre gauge railway line expected to be completed by end of June with Kenya Railways having already injected Sh.1 billion while the rest is being provided by the National government.
Among the beneficiaries of the revival of the line would be the 11 million litres’ capacity Nanyuki Petroleum depot operated by Vivo Energy that serves parts of Eastern and Northern Kenya.
The Transport Cabinet Secretary, James Macharia is also expected to inspect the rehabilitation of the railway line later this week in Nanyuki.
The revival of the railway will undoubtedly spare our roads’ wear and tear, give farmers a cheaper means of transport and provide a major boost for agricultural production in the Mt. Kenya region.
By Martin Munyi
