Firms in Thika and the larger Mt Kenya region have heaved a sigh of relief following the return of cargo trains that halted operations 10 years ago.
This follows the ongoing Sh3 billion rehabilitation of the 178km Thika-Nanyuki railway line by the Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC).
The rehabilitation is 80 per cent complete, according KRC manager in charge of operations James Siele.
Already six locomotives that will ply the route have been procured. Two will be commuter trains while four will haul cargo.
The corporation has also embarked on revival of all stations in Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Nyeri and Laikipia counties to spur economic development in the entire Central region
Firms that transport their products in bulk have received a major boost as the railway is set to drastically reduce the cost of doing business.
Over 15 firms that deal in agricultural, marketing, fuel and vegetable oils trade in the Central Kenya have already expressed interest to use the railway to transport their products.
Major companies like the multinational fruit processor Del Monte Kenya Ltd have already started enjoying the benefits of hauling their goods via the railway.
Production director Wayne Cook told journalists on Friday the company started transporting their products using the railway once it was rehabilitated. They have been transporting 2,400 tons of products to Mombasa port via railway every week.
“Railway transport has proved to be economical to us because we can transport large volumes of cargo over great distance and at a considerable cost,” he said.
Cook said the railway has saved the company time in hauling their cargo as well as reduced the risks of their products being tampered with while on transit.
“We are elated on the return of cargo trains because we have been suffering while transporting our goods through the Thika-Nairobi-Mombasa road. Road transport is good but there are qualms over traffic and cargo being tampered with. This trains are saving us time and cost of transport and thereby assuring an increase in profits,” Cook said.
He called for continuous improvement of rail infrastructure and processing of goods from customs.
“At the moment the rail goes on the meter gauge to Nairobi Inland Container Depot after which it is transferred to the standard gauge. If we can speed up this whole process and get the containers to the port faster, it will greatly ease our way of doing business and speed up economic growth in the country,” he said.
KRC operations head Siele told journalists that the corporation is determined to open up the Mt Kenya region to markets in an economic and cost-effective way.
“Resumption of the cargo trains will open up the region to more investment opportunities and ease the cost of doing business for our investors in the region. This will in turn be a major boost to the region’s and the country’s economy,” Siele said.
Siele noted that despite other infrastructural upgrades in the region such as the expansion to dual carriageway of the Kennol-Nanyuki road, railway transport stands to be economically viable as it will complement other modes of transport and enhance efficiency in business.
He noted that the corporation has embarked on intensive marketing, volume discounts, promotional rates and provision of various incentives to lure more firms to embrace the mode of transport.
He, however, revealed that commuter trains, targeting about 20,000 passengers per day, will be re-introduced once the rehabilitation ends next month.
Thika town MP Patrick Wainaina said revival of railway transport in the region will help Thika regain its title as the 'Birmingham of Kenya'.
Edited by Henry Makori
