The Voi-Taveta rail revival aims to unlock new trade routes and fuel industrial activity along Kenya’s northern edge. The 129-kilometre Meter Gauge Railway (MGR) is being restored after years of silence since operations halted in 2005.
Since then, cargo moving between Kenya and northern Tanzania has been predominantly road-based, characterized by high transport costs, border delays , cargo fragmentation, and limited backhaul optimization.
Enabling seamless interchange between the Standard Gauge Railway and the Meter Gauge Railway, will allow cargo from the Port of Mombasa to move via SGR to Voi, then transition onto the MGR for onward movement to Taveta and into Tanzania’s rail system via Moshi, creating a multimodal logistics chain.
According to President William Ruto, Taveta’s planned cargo handling facility will reduce dwell time, enhance cargo visibility, and support faster turnaround for cross-border trade, a move in boosting regional integration.
Resumption of the rail operations are expected to spur the development of the proposed Industrial Park, with manufacturers expected to gain a competitive edge through reduced logistics overheads.
