KENYA: New commuter train and railway station launched in Nairobi.

Record ID: 362453

  • Title: KENYA: New commuter train and railway station launched in Nairobi.
  • Date: 14th November 2012
  • Summary: EASTLANDS NAIROBI, KENYA (FILE) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PASSENGERS HANGING ONTO TO TRAIN
  • Embargoed: 29th November 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVA3WXX75NIARW3YT71CHEJ8AU2N
  • Story Text: Kenya's capital Nairobi gets its first new railway station and commuter train in several decades as part of a grand plan to decongest the city and improve infrastructure.

    Nairobi's commuters got their first new railway station in over 80 years - and a new train to go with it on Tuesday (November 13).
    The train - the country's first since independence in 1963 - will run between the Nairobi's city centre and the new station in the Syokimau suburb.
    The new station and train are part of efforts to ease the capital's perennial traffic jams.
    Nairobi's population is estimated to have about 3 million inhabitants and is rapidly expanding into areas on the outskirts.
    Kenya's president Mwai Kibaki, who officially opened the Syokimau Railway Station is widely praised in Kenya for improving infrastructure in the country ahead of his exit from office in March next year.
    One of Kibaki's pre-election promises was the creation of jobs for the country's unemployed youth.
    "I am very pleased that the two kilometer branch-line to Syokimau Station from the main Mombasa-Nairobi railway line was constructed by youth trained by the Kenya Railways Corporation...thank you very much indeed," he told officials and other guests at the ceremony.
    The Syokimau terminal has been fitted with modern facilities like electronic gates and large screens with travel information.
    The trip into the city centre is expected to cost commuters 2.50 US dollars and take about 20 minutes.
    It can take several hours to travel the same distance of about 16.5 kilometers during rush hour by vehicle.
    Kenya has other trains and stations but most are poorly-maintained.
    Kenya's government has given itself 18 years to improve the country's infrastructure and living standards under a plan known as Vision 2030.
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