BRT stations to be connected to electricity

The government will connect the Bus Rapid Transport system stations to electricity.

Housing and Urban Development Principal Secretary Charles Hinga on Thursday said the few stations along Thika Super Highway will have electricity.

“We are on track and once we have power, all the stations will be connected,” he said.

The government aims for 60 electric BRT buses with each bus having a capacity to carry about 160 passengers and will use electronic cards for payment.

The electric passenger buses will be procured through a public private partnership.

They will have doors on both sides, so passengers can use taxi services and the median.

Passenger pick-up and drop-off points are linked to footbridges that will serve as BRT stations along with islands between the carriageways.

The stations are designed in a way that entry and exit from the stations are through the footbridge.

The plan leaves little room for commuters to slip or sneak through motorways.

To decongest the city, Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority gazetted five BRT lines which are in different phases of development.

This includes Line 1, which is called Ndovu runs from Limuru-Kangemi-CBD-Imara Daima-Athi River and Kitengela.

Line 2 is Simba runs from Rongai-Bomas-Langata Road-CBD-Ruiru-Thika and Kenol.

Line 3, is Chui, runs from Tala-Njiru-Dandora (Juja Road)-CBD-Show Ground (Ngong Road) and Ngong.

Line 4, called Kifaru, is comprised of East and West.

The East one runs from Mama Lucy Hospital-Donholm (Jogoo Road)-CBD.

The West one runs from CBD- T Mall-Bomas-Karen and Kikuyu.

BRT Line 5, which is called Nyati, traverses Ridgeways (Kiambu Road)-Balozi (Allsops) and Imara Daima.

BRT and commuter rail integrated after the state gazetted commuter rail networks which include Nairobi-Limuru town, Nairobi-Ngong, Nairobi-Kenol, Muranga, Nairobi-Kiambu, Nairobi-Ruai, Nairobi-JKIA and Nairobi-Konza.

Hinga said the government will hold a BRT investors conference in early January next year.

“We have pronounced ourselves going green, we need to bring in all the investors to invest in ancillary infrastructure on electric buses. We want those electric buses to be fabricated in Kenya and investors will come to see that opportunity,” he said.

Hinga said Nairobi will have a reliable public transport system where there will be a BRT bus running almost every three minutes.

He said the financing for Line 3 has been approved and the construction will soon start.

With Line 5 not passing through the CBD, the PS said the project will be efficient for commuters.

“BRT is still important in matters of housing and commuting time. One can live in Thika and live in Tala, Limuru and within a short period you will get into town without incurring much transport cost,” Hinga said.

Line 1 below the ongoing construction for the Nairobi Expressway, the designs are still been worked on.

Some of the features of the new BRT include the right of way lane, coloured pavement, dedicated BRT lane and flyovers.

Others are the level station, pre-paid fare collection, information, footbridges, sidewalks, pedestrian crossing, facilities for persons with disabilities, parking lot among others.

Private motorists on Thika Road will be barred from using the inner lane of the highway once the BRT project is launched.

Hinga said, only electric passenger buses will be allowed on the lane, in the plan intended to decongest the busy highway.

The launch of an efficient public transport system is intended to encourage private motorists to stop using personal cars, which contribute to congestion and traffic jams.

Edited by Kiilu Damaris