In the 1980s and early 90s, travelling between Nairobi and Mombasa by rail would involve hours of snaking through the countryside, a journey that would take up to 15 hours.
It was common to see passengers manoeuvring inside the rain, trying to dodge the stewards who were going round, checking tickets.
The old, narrow-gauge 'Lunatic Express' was the classic journey between Nairobi and Mombasa overnight in a sleeper, and for sure, if anyone reading this piece ever travelled by rail in the yesteryears, then they sure have their story.
The country has, however, seen an evolution of its rail network, with the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) changing how people travel and movement of cargo.
SGR operations commenced in 2017, when Kenya Railways Cooperation (KRC) contracted AfriStar, a subsidiary company of China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), to manage SGR operations and maintenance.
Since then, it has been a story of growth for the Kenyan economy, with the modern train’s passenger service, christened “Madaraka Express”, cutting the journey between Mombasa and Nairobi to just four and a half hours, operating at up to 120km/h (75 mph), with 1,200 seats per train.
With both day and night trains, the SGR passenger services moved at least 1.9 million people last year alone, while freight transport increased from 4.4 million tonnes in 2020 to 5.4 million tonnes, the Economic Survey 2022 indicates.
This came as cargo throughput at the Mombasa port increased by 12.5 per cent to stand at 34.7 million tonnes in 2021.
Revenue from haulage on the SGR rose by 24.0 per cent to Sh13 billion in 2021, while those from Madaraka Express more than doubled to Sh2.2 billion.
Since the SGR operations took off, things have changed. There is a lot of business and movement between Emali and other towns through the inter-county train
TANGIBLE GROWTH
The bigger story on the impact of the SGR is yet to be told. But one of them is how it has breathed new life to the economies of small towns along the railway, improved the ease of transport and doing business in the country, and helped grow key sectors mainly in manufacturing and the service sector.
Philip Maingi, a resident of Emali, is one person who says his life made a U-turn with the coming into operation of the SGR.
The father of four operates a boda boda in Emali town, transporting passengers to the Emali station, one of the seven stations found along the railway, between the main Nairobi and Mombasa terminus.
Maingi says the growth of Emali town had stagnated for years as the town had turned into a stopover for truckers moving cargo between Mombasa-Nairobi and the neighboring country.
On average, he makes between Sh2,500 and Sh3,000 per day, moving passengers across, with links to the rail station.
With savings, he has increased his fleet and employed two more riders.
“Since the SGR operations took off, things have changed. There is a lot of business and movement between Emali and other towns through the inter-county train,” he says.
From banks, hotels, supermarkets and restaurants to taxi businesses, the town, which is about 125km from the capital Nairobi, has become one of the fastest-growing along the Mombasa-Nairobi highway, thanks to the rail system that has eased movement, connecting it with other towns.
This translates to hundreds of jobs.
HOTELS IN TSAVO
Another town that has had its fortunes change is Voi town.
If you travelled by bus about 10 years ago, Voi had become a ghost town at night, with only a few buses diverting into the town centre to pick up or drop off passengers.
Most would choose Mtito Andei as the preferred stopover before embarking on the journey.
Today, Voi has become one of the targeted investment destinations in the region.
The SGR has also helped in the growth of hotels in the Tsavo National Park and the Amboseli.
Tsavo East, West and Amboseli have up to 20 major hotel facilities and camps, all of which are now tapping on the traffic using the SGR.
“Many hotels now have SGR packages with pick-ups and drop-offs at the stations. This has really helped improve business,” says Willy Mwadilo, a seasoned hotelier and Tsavo-Amboseli circuit chairman of the Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers.
Other towns that have benefited from the rail are Athi River and Kibwezi, one of the intermediate stations on the Nairobi-Mombasa SGR route.
It is one of the towns where the inter-county SGR train makes a scheduled stopover.
This is one of the SGR stations in Kenya. It is located in Mtito Andei town in Makueni county.
Others are Miasenyi and Mariakani stations.
MOMBASA AND THE PORT
Mombasa, one of Kenya’s leading beach holiday destinations, is another beneficiary, with the city reaping big from the SGR passenger services.
You will be lucky to secure a seat on the train during holidays, such as Christmas and New Year, a period when hotels are also fully booked.
A flagship project of the Kenyan government under Vision 2030 development agenda, the SGR has also saved importers from millions in demurrage charges, adding to further evacuation of goods between the port of Mombasa and the Nairobi Inland Container Depot.
Last year, Kenya Railways deployed double-decker wagons to increase the amount of cargo ferried from Mombasa to Nairobi and Naivasha, pushing up volumes handled by nearly a third.
The SGR has also been connected to the Metre Gauge Railway near Naivasha, making it possible to move cargo from Mombasa all the way to Kisumu.
“The government is out to ensure movement of cargo through rail system is efficient, reliable and safe,” Kenya Railways managing director Philip Mainga said in a recent statement.
This year, SGR freight operation exceeded expectations as it entered its fifth year.
It has maintained a steady positive rise on cargo volumes moved both up and down directions on the network.
Since the inception of the Madaraka Express Freight Service in January 2018, the cargo volumes have continued to register a growth trajectory, enabling improved cargo haulage and efficient performance at the port.
The phenomenal success is attributed to the robust manner the transport sector regulator, Kenya Railways, dealt with bottlenecks at the evacuation hub at the port of Mombasa and in surpassing cargo delivery timeliness to the designated pick-up points.
The upward trajectory has remained consistent as exemplified by the cargo volumes moved over the last four years.
The SGR operator moved 2.9 million gross tonnes in 2018, 4.1 million tonnes in 2019, 4.4 million tonnes in 2020 and 5.4 million tones in 2021.
During January 2022,there was a steady rise in volumes moved that stood at 477,247 compared to the same period last year, when 449,731 tonnes were delivered both on imports and exports cargo.
STRATEGY
Mainga attributed the growth in cargo volumes to concerted joint efforts in liaison with other key government agencies, which include the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), enabling smooth loading, delivery and clearance of cargo at destination depots of ICD Nairobi and Naivasha.
“The recently inaugurated linkage line on SGR/MGR through Naivasha ICD, enabling end-to-end rail cargo movement especially on transit goods from the Port of Mombasa to Jinja/Kampala and beyond destinations, has gained momentum”, said Mainga.
To enhance cargo evacuations, KRC and the SGR operator have maintained two Super Tandem long trains of 75 wagons, delivering 150 TEUs per train to the Nairobi ICD.
The loading of two double-deck trains, each constantly delivering 152 TEUs per move, has also enhanced cargo evacuations.
The SGR operator has also maintained adequate wagon resources supply, averaging 450/500 dedicated to containerised cargo.
To ensure smooth and steady delivery of products for industrial use that includes steel and clinker, Afristar has maintained a minimum of two daily trains.
During the period January to the current month, more than 24 trains have already moved cargo to Naivasha, delivering 782 TEUs and 9,392 tonnes of conventional cargo that has a seamless connection on the Meter Gauge Rail network to clients’ preferred delivery destinations.
As it snails through the country's parks and growing towns, the SGR continues to write its history of one of Kenya's largest infrastructure project since Independence in 1963, with its contribution to the economy continuing to be felt.
AfriStar is in the process of handing over the SGR operations to Kenyans after years of skill and knowledge transfer.
Meanwhile, China’s Belt and Road Initiative continues to live on as it expands its influence across Asia, Africa and Latin America, impacting on economies, mainly in developing and poor countries.
As they say, infrastructure is the backbone of economic growth as it improves access to basic services, creates jobs and boosts businesses.
