It is about one year since the standard gauge railway project was commissioned. Where are we today?
Over 95 per cent of the SGR corridor has been acquired and is workable now. More than 272 kilometres of sub-grade has been completed, accounting for 60 per cent of the entire line. More than 14 kilometres of railway bridges have been completed, accounting for 59 per cent of the whole line.
Some 307 culverts have been completed, accounting for 52 per cent of the whole line. A total of 549 beams and 288,901 sleepers have been produced. Over 17,000 local workers have been recruited, and the total figure reaches 25,000 when you include those working for various suppliers and sub-contractors. Assistant Manager Pei Yan gives us an update.
One of the notable innovations you have come up with is to segment the project into nine construction zones...
The SGR line is about 500 kilometres long, with complicated geological features along its route. We have divided the project into nine construction zones, according to the terrain and based on the professionalism of our site construction teams.
Among the nine construction zones, five sections are for civil works, two for track laying, one for major railway stations and one for facilities installation. This way, all works can proceed simultaneously and can be linked effectively, ensuring completion of construction as scheduled.
A key condition for your contract with the Government on this project was a set quota for what is often referred to as “local content”. Could you give a status report?
We believe that the “local content” quota is not just a condition for the employer and the contractor but also the local manufacturers, suppliers, industry players and relevant stakeholders. It places certain responsibilities on all of us.
Since the preparation stage, we have been working with local companies in purchasing materials, vehicles and hiring equipment. To date, we have worked with over 400 local suppliers and manufacturers and over 40 local engineering and construction companies in various fields.
What is important to us is the fact that we are building a broad and long-term partnership with local companies and industry players. It would be useful to appreciate that the eventual achievement of “local content” is not only beneficial to locals or the nation but also the contractor. It enables the contractor to achieve the target of “localisation” in procurement, management, operations and development and make the contractor competitive in the local market.
Could you comment on recent misgivings by a local cement manufacturer who claimed to have been excluded?
The issue has been resolved and I assure you the particular manufacturer had not been overlooked. The project has a strict quality control process, starting with the mandatory testing of raw materials.
The manufacturer thought we would not procure its cement because we were still waiting for the results of sample testing and concrete mixture analysis. We have since started purchasing the manufacturer’s cement after it passed the requisite quality tests.
Yet certain materials still come from China...
This is because some materials are not available in Kenya and even where they are available, the quality does not meet the stringent requirements of the project. That is why steel rails, steel strands, pre-stressed wires, geo-textile and geo-grid have to be imported.
The SGR is designed as per Chinese railway standards, so the materials used in the project must conform to these standards in order to ensure absolute quality of the project. The project still relies on many local materials such as cement, sand, gravel, wood, diesel and explosives.
How do you ensure the safety, health and environment needs of the 30,000-plus workers on site?
Safety sensitisation and skills training are carried out before workers can access the site. Labour protection appliances are provided and strict enforcement ensures they are worn during work.
We deploy safety supervisors to every work spot to monitor workers’ safety, cater for requests and settle any abnormal situations immediately. Health training on different themes are organised from time to time. Work sites and living areas are kept clean all the time by specially assigned staff.
General physical examinations are conducted for workers at regular intervals. We also consider the physical conditions of different workers when assigning duties to them.
What sets SGR apart from the old metre gauge railway (MGR)?
It will be faster, safer and more capable. The existing line has a speed of 20 to 40 kilometres per hour while the SGR will have a speed of up to 80 kilometres per hour for freight trains and up to 120 kilometres per hour for passenger trains. The design standard of SGR is higher than that of MGR. For example, the sub-grade bearing of the SGR is about 10 times of that of MGR.
The SGR has more bridges and culverts, has a smoother alignment and passengers will feel more comfortable on it. Overpasses and underpasses are provided along the SGR line and protective fencing is used to enclose the entire corridor to ensure the safety and reliability during operation.
The SGR also features a greater transport capacity of about 11 million tonnes annually in the near future and about 20 million tonnes annually in the long-run.
The SGR is easily Kenya’s biggest infrastructure project since independence. Why is it so critical?
The project is a landmark and portends several benefits for the Kenyan and regional economies. It will materially reduce congestion at Mombasa port, securing the port’s status as the preferred facility and gateway to the region.
It will also reduce the burden on roads, reducing wear and tear on them, and most importantly, making a dent in maintenance costs.
With the SGR, fewer trucks will be on our roads, reducing the carnage that has turned the roads into a slaughterhouse for Kenyans. Lower transportation costs, which are expected to dip by a material 40 per cent, will make the region a competitive investment destination.
The environment will be spared the dangers of heavy carbon emissions that come with road transport. Efficient railway corridors are a magnet for industrialisation, least of all those geared to service the line. It is estimated that the SGR has potential to contribute at least 1.5 per cent to Kenya’s GDP (gross domestic product), both during construction and once operational.
