• There were fears line could be damaged following tremors on Sunday
Image: PSCU
Contractors have allayed fears earth tremors can destroy the standard gauge railway line.
China Communications Construction Company, the contractor working of the Nairobi-Naivasha line, said on Tuesday they have implemented new technology to ensure the lines are safe from earthquakes.
CCCC's spokesman Steve Zhao said many geologists were involved in the installation of the technology. He spoke to reporters in Naivasha.
There were fears the line could be damaged following tremors that shook several counties on Sunday.
On Monday, the Kenya National Highways Authority said a fault line on a critical bridge along the Naivasha-Mai Mahiu highway could be as a result of the tremors.
But CCCC said the SGR line is safe.
Zhao said all elements in the station buildings, such as walls and the roof, had been tied together like a giant nest.
“This will act as an integrated unit during earthquake shaking, transferring forces across connections and preventing separation,” Zhao said.
Zhao said other earthquake resistant measures incorporated in the line include building the railway track on a wider sub-grade - the foundation the track is built on.
“The sub-grade and slope in the SGR Phase 2A are relatively higher and wider in comparison to Phase 1 from Mombasa to Nairobi,” he said.
He said the contractor had determined the safest seismic fortification to be implemented for the line to meet an earthquake resistance intensity of 8, in the area between Embulbul – Ngong and Duka Moja – Narok.
“When we began planning the construction of the SGR Phase 2A, we mobilised many seasoned geologists from China Seismological Bureau to conduct a thorough survey on the seismic belt along the railway line.”
He said the SGR will not be affected because the earthquake resistance intensity used in construction was set higher than what is ideally recommended.
“In the unlikely event of the SGR Phase 2A corridor experiencing an earthquake similar to the 2008 Chinese Great Sichuan earthquake, it is guaranteed the railway line and other supporting infrastructure will not be destroyed,” Zhao said.
Zhao said the columns have also been reinforced with a high strength steel mesh that acts like a rubber band.
"This is done so that if you push the top of the column sideways as would an earthquake, the steel mesh just snaps the column back upright when you let g," he said.