Kenya Railways scales up commuter train services

Kenya Railways is scaling up capacity in Nairobi commuter rail service to transport at least 132,000 more passengers daily.

The operator that introduced six more commuter trips in Nairobi plans to purchase an additional 11 Diesel Multiple Units as it targets to ferry eight million passengers by the year 2022.

Nairobi which has a population of over 4 million people faces huge traffic snarl-ups that have seen authorities propose several initiatives of tackling this, among them road expansion and the introduction of dedicated lanes on roads meant for high capacity commuter buses. In addition, the railway network or capacity is being expanded.

On Wednesday last week, Kenya Railway introduced six additional trips on the Nairobi commuter rail service bringing to 20 the number of trips the firm operates on a daily basis.

The 11 Diesel Multiple Units will help Kenya Railways ferry up to 132,000 commuters on a daily basis.

The operator is targeting to steadily increase capacity.

In a tweet, Kenya Railways wrote: “the Diesel Multiple Units are a key part of the Nairobi Commuter Rail revitalisation masterplan and will be important in helping us achieve our goal of moving 8M commuter passengers by 2022.”

The transformation of the Nairobi commuter railway system comprises an improvement of the existing rail infrastructure, coaches, safety and security, access and number of trips.

The government says Nairobi Commuter Rail revitalization master plan is aimed at reorganizing the once-neglected sector to woo middle-class Nairobians to use public transport.

Already, five new railway stations have been constructed in Ruiru, Kikuyu, Mwiki, Kahawa, and Dandora that have parking lots for motorists and fully equipped police stations.