The government now says it has embarked on a plan to reintroduce a vibrant commuter train service in Nairobi.
Transport CS James Macharia yesterday said the government has opted to introduce more trains as opposed to buses to ease traffic congestion in the city.
Macharia said two PS’s from the Infrastructure Ministry have traveled to Spain to finalise transactions on the trains.
“We are currently focusing on two main routes. The first one is the Syokimau to CBD and the second one is the Ruiru CBD,” he said.
Macharia said the two routes will provide an alternative to the earlier plans for the Bus Rapid Transit system.
The CS however said this does not mean a replacement of the BRT.
“We shall still be doing the BRT only that it is faster doing the commuter trains because we do not need any land and the tracks are already in place. All we are doing now is renovating the tracks and the stations which passengers will use,” he said.
He said the ministry is also seeking partnership to acquire more diesel powered engines to facilitate the plan.
“With implementation of these commuter trains, we expect to have more space to work on the BRT project which so far requires a lot of infrastructure and its configuration will also take some time,” Macharia said.
He said the BRT project will require some Sh7 billion which the government will co-fund with World Bank.
In June the CS said it was not easy to implement the BRT project as Nairobi lacks adequate space.
He attributed the problem to poor planning of the city, saying it does not have dedicated bus lanes.
Nonetheless, Macharia said the ministry will adopt the setting up of the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, which will address issues concerning public transport.
The government had in April this year announced that Thika Road will have a dedicated lane for public service vehicles.
Through the CS, the government said it was considering either BRTS or Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS).
Macharia while appearing before Senate Committee on Transport said the plans under consideration include a commuter and light rail option.
“For planning and financial reasons, we are giving the Bus Rapid System priority and urgency.”
He said the
government then would introduce high-capacity buses of up to 100 passengers
“Plans are at an advanced stage and the first batch of about 50 buses should be deployed in the next four weeks.” he said.
Macharia said apart from the NYS buses, the private sector would bring in another 100 buses.