Kenya to construct a modern railway

By John Njiraini

An ambitious project to construct a Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line has gained momentum after the opening of bids for its design.

Kenya Railways Managing Director Nduva Muli on Friday said the firm opened the bids from firms interested in undertaking the design services for the railway line expected to cost about Sh320 billion.

"The construction of the SGR drew closer yesterday with the opening of the bids," he said in a statement. He said 16 firms had submitted bids by Friday, though 65 companies had bought tender documents.

The opening of the bids paves the way for the evaluation process before the winning bidder is awarded the contract to undertake the design of the railway line and carry out a detailed environmental and social impact assessment.

The winning firm, which will be unveiled next month, will also be expected to develop a suitable financing, construction and operating model and recommend legal and regulatory review to support the proposed model and railway operations in future.

The railway, which will run between Mombasa and Malaba/Kisumu, is expected to meet increased demand for transport and ease pressure on roads, which account for about 80 per cent of transportation needs.

Projections indicate the volume of goods passing through Mombasa is expected to increase to 30 million tonnes by 2030 against the current 17 million tonnes.

The volume of cargo has outstripped available road and rail transport capacity, causing perennial congestion at the Mombasa Port.

Mr Muli said studies for the railway line should be completed by March, next year, while construction is expected to start in November.