The Kenyan government has started talks with a Turkish company to introduce electric trains on the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), in a move that could change how people and goods move across the country.
According to reports, discussions are ongoing with Yapı Merkezi, a Turkish infrastructure company, to electrify the railway line from Mombasa to Malaba. The project would cover about 1,144 kilometres and is expected to improve transport and trade within Kenya and the wider East African region.
As reported by the company’s Vice Chairman, Mr. Erdem Arıoğlu, the project seeks to develop a new electric rail line that will enable faster border crossing between countries.
The initiative has been tied to other railway projects being undertaken in Uganda. For example, Kampala has signed an agreement with Yapı Merkezi to construct the part of the SGR from Kampala to the Malaba border point, which links Kenya.
According to government officials, transitioning to the use of electric trains will enable modernisation of the railway system in Kenya. This includes increasing the efficiency of operations, cleanliness, and reducing the costs associated with running trains in the future. Additionally, the trains are relatively cheaper and cause less environmental pollution than diesel-operated trains.
With the transition, the travel time between Nairobi and Mombasa is likely to reduce from around five to six hours to around three and a half hours.
However, this development is still at the preliminary stages. Several factors including feasibility study and technical planning have not yet been sorted out.
This development comes barely weeks after Kenya contracted two Chinese companies, namely China Communications Construction Company and China Road and Bridge Corporation, to undertake the construction of the SGR project from Naivasha to Malaba, which will cost the country nearly KSh700 billion.
Addressing guests at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new project in March, Chairperson of the CCCC, Song Hailiang, stated that this project had become a reality due to financing arrangements facilitated by President Ruto’s interaction with China.
The SGR extension to Malaba is expected to remain one of Kenya’s biggest infrastructure projects and a key part of the country’s long-term economic plans.