Six of the 56 diesel locomotives for
operations of the Standard Gauge
Railway will be in the country by January
31, Transport Cabinet Secretary
James Macharia announced yesterday.
The SGR is set to start operations
in June.
The Transport ministry said the
four passenger locomotives (DF8B)
and two shunters (DF7G) were dispatched
from China last Friday. A
shunter is part of a train from the
main line to a siding, or from one
track to another.
The locomotives were manufactured
by CRRC Qishuyan, one of the
major diesel locomotive makers in
China.
“ They (CRRC) have ensured that
speedy manufacture of the locomotives
is as per the quality prescribed,”
Macharia said in a statement. “We are
confi dent that the operator will ensure
that both the infrastructure and
the equipment are maintained to the
best global standards.”
The ministry said 43 of the 56 locomotives
will be used for transporting
cargo, fi ve for passengers, while another
eight are for shunting operations.
Principal Secretary Irungu Nyakera
said: “We trust that they will work
with manufacturers of these equipment
to achieve the desired quality
and efficiency levels. I invite manufacturers
such as CRRC Qishuyan to
set base in Kenya and manufacture
for Africa and the rest of the World.”
Kenya Railways managing director
Atanas Maina said once operational,
the SGR will decongest the Port
of Mombasa, improve effi ciency in
rail operations and reduce transport
costs.
He said SGR will also reduce accidents
caused by heavy trucks on our
roads, reduce transit times for goods,
and improve the overall transport sector in Kenya.
“We further expect
that in addition to us achieving all
this, China Communications Construction
Company and China Road
and Bridge Corporation will put in
all the necessary measures to preserve
and protect the environment,
and also give back to the community
through Corporate Social Responsibility
initiatives,” Maina said.
The construction of the first phase
(Sh327 billion Mombasa-Nairobi line)
is 98 per cent complete, the ministry
said, with works for phase 2A expected
to start in the first quarter of 2017.
The project has been criticised by
conservationists who say the railway
will destroy the Nairobi National Park.