The perennial traffic snarl-ups on Thika Superhighway especially during the peak hours will ease once commuter trains start operating, State Department of Housing and Urban Development PS Charles Hinga has said.
The PS said the state has already procured 11 train coaches that will be plying the Nairobi-Thika route following the completion of Ruiru, Githurai and Mwiki railway sub-stations.
Speaking while inspecting the Ruiru substation on Thursday, Hinga said that introduction of the mass transit system will improve businesses in Kiambu County as well parts of Nairobi as it will ease transportation of goods.
Hinga said that the trains, which will be making stopovers at the substations after every 30 minutes, will ease transport and safety on the Thika superhighway.
He divulged that the government has set aside Sh360 million to construct a link road between the Githurai 45 railway substation and the Thika superhighway, that will pass near the Githurai modern market.
“The road will enhance connectivity for residents using the commuter trains to commute to Nairobi and back as well as for traders who will be bringing their produce to the market. These trains will greatly improve business which will in turn propel our country’s economy growth,” the PS said.
The railway project, he said, has been funded by the World Bank and is being implemented under the Nairobi Metropolitan Services Improvement Project (NAMSIP).
It will also complement the gains made so far by the Thika superhighway.
He said that Kiambu County will benefit from the project as well as other projects including markets that are being constructed in the region.
Apart from the Githurai 45 market, other markets that are being constructed include Juja, Ruiru, Kihara and Kikuyu.
“With these markets ready and presence of a convenient transport system, we expect business and agricultural activities to improve in Kiambu County. This will greatly impact the livelihoods of farmers in the rural areas as well as traders,” he said.
Ruiru MP Simon King’ara, who had accompanied the PS, said that the rising population in the region called for creation of other means of transport in the area.
He said that Ruiru alone has an estimated population of over 600,000 residents.
“You can imagine such a number and the only way to get to Nairobi was through the Thika Superhighway. A lot of time and energy has been lost on the traffic jams. Kenyans have been frustrated while on the traffic and we have lost a lot as a country in terms of resources. But this will no longer be the case with the commuter trains,” King’ara said.
