Railways renovates 40 coaches to reduce overcrowding

Nairobi train commuters will from next month travel more comfortably after 40 refurbished coaches are introduced on various routes.

The new coaches will reduce overcrowding in trains, according to Kenya Railways managing director Phillip Maingi.

"The Ruiru-CBD route has received six coaches as we look to roll out the remaining in the coming weeks," Maingi said on Monday. 

The first batch of 20 coaches is expected to be operational from next month as the Nairobi Commuter Railway (NCR) embarks on a more comprehensive programme to decongest commuter traffic in Nairobi.

The old coaches will be phased out as new ones are introduced, Maingi said.

Kenya Railways intends to grow the number of monthly commuters from the current 300,000 passengers to more than two million in the next two years.

The Ruiru-CBD route is served by 20 coaches at the rate of Sh50 per passenger. Train fares are constant irrespective of the weather conditions.

The coaches have been rehabilitated in phases as the KR awaits new Diesel Multiple Unit (DMUs) from Spain.

KR had in February announced it will purchase 11 DMUs this year at a cost of Sh1.15 billion.

The new DMUs will be plying five routes from Nairobi Central Station to Embakasi Village, Syokimau, Kitengela, Kikuyu and Thika.

Nine new stations will be built in Umoja, Kibera, Thika, Mbagathi Way, Kenyatta and Strathmore universities, Kitengela and Thogoto.

KR transports one per cent of city residents during peak hours.

In May, Transport CS James Macharia said the national government planned to link the commuter rail service to the Bus Rapid Transit system for efficiency.

He said the BRT will ferry passengers from railway stations to the city and vice versa.

Already, 32 BRT buses have arrived in the country waiting to be rolled out between September and December. 

Edited by R.Wamochie