Kenya Railways to open 20 new stations to boost commuter numbers

Kikuyu Railway Station that was allegedly grabbed by a private developer is under construction. [Photo by Boniface Okendo/Standard]

NAIROBI, KENYA: Kenya Railways plans to open at least 20 upgraded and new railway stations on Nairobi routes to increase commuter numbers.

The new stations will be put up in places where the trains stop but there are no platforms such as Mwiki. Others, such as Ruiru, will be rehabilitated to modern standards.

The project, under the Nairobi Commuter Rail Service Development, is funded by the World Bank and the national government. It is part of the Nairobi Metropolitan Transport Master Plan, which aims to decongest the city.

The modernisation and expansion of underutilised railway transport infrastructure in Nairobi is meant to attract passengers who use road transport, thus reducing congestion on roads.

It is also aimed at creating an efficient and affordable mass rapid transit transport system. This comes at a time when rail transport is once again becoming popular after the launch of the Standard Gauge Railway that ferries passengers between Nairobi and Mombasa.

 In Nairobi, there are regular train services on the Embakasi and Imara Daima routes.