By Willis Oketch

Forty companies have expressed interest to design and offer advisory services for the proposed standard gauge railway line.

Kenya Railways Corporation Managing Director Joseph Nduva Muli said response has been positive after the bidders attended a briefing.

"I must say there are many companies in the world, which want to be associated with the construction of the standard Gauge railway line," he said.

Addressing a press conference at Travellers Hotel in Mombasa, Mr Muli said most bidders left the two- day meeting with a clear knowledge of what the corporation wants.

Uganda Railway Chief Executive, Emmanual Iyamulenya, Joster Imbuchi, Solomon Ouna and Deputy managing Director Vincent Ogonga were present.

"The companies came from Iran, Kenya, Uganda, China, Korea, Japan, United Kingdom, South Africa, Canada, Switzerland and others Germany," he added.

Muli said the two-day bidders conference was organised to discuss the request for proposal document, which has been on sale since October.

He said once the construction is completed it would take commuters at least four hours between Nairobi and Mombasa.

"After the completion a standard gaugeline trains will be travelling at a speed of 160 kilometres per hour for the passenger train and 120 kilometres per hour for goods train," said Muli.

This, he said, would also facilitate decongestion of at the port of Mombasa by easing transport of cargo by road.

The bidders later toured the port, and Changamwe railway yard, to give them an overview of what they are likely to meet once they won the tender. He, however, did not disclose the costs of the work.