Rail transport in Kenya
The former Uganda Railway, was run by the company East African Railways jointly for the countries of Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya after World War I. Since the dissolution of the EAR corporation in 1977 the national company Kenya Railways Corporation runs the former Uganda Railway and its branches in Kenya. The most important line in the country runs between the port of Mombasa and Nairobi, where sleeping car accommodation is offered for tourists.
In 2006, the Rift Valley Railways Consortium led by South African companies took operating control of the Kenya and Uganda railways as part of a contract lasting at least 25 years. After criticism from the Kenya Railways Corporation, RVR doubled the frequency of service, and also imposed restrictions to reduce derailments on the ageing infrastructure.[1]
RVR run passenger trains within Kenya only, primarily from Nairobi to Mombasa but also to local towns such as Kisumu. Passenger services on these lines are offered on peak periods only. Freight services are the bulk of RVR's operations.
Operational Track
Total: 2,778 km (1,726 mi)
Narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge
Railway links with adjacent countries
Ethiopia – no – same 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge
Somalia – no railways
South Sudan – no – proposed link to Juba (2005) break-of-gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)/1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Tanzania – same 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge – maybe defunct
Uganda – yes – same gauge – 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Specifications
Gauge change
In May 2008, debate about gauge change in Kenya to the world standard ("standard gauge") of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) became lively.
East African Railway Master Plan:
- AllAfrica[4]
- Daily Nation[5]
- Newstin[6]
- EuroArabBank[7]
- RailwayNews[8]
- Sudan Tribune[9]
- Minister's Blog[10]
- 98.4 FM[11]
- Africa News Update[12]
Timeline
- In 2008, agreements were made with Uganda about gauge standardisation.[13]
- In 2015, construction of new standard gauge lines were well underway.[14]
Map
- Map: UN Map
Cities served by rail
See also
References
Notes
- ^ Restrictions
- ^ http://www.garrattmaker.com/history.html
- ^ Loco 2927 shows chopper couplings and thin air brake hoses
- ^ allAfrica.com: Kenya: Century-Old Rail System Needs Sh80 Billion Upgrade (Page 1 of 1)
- ^ Nationmedia.com | Daily Nation | BUSINESS |
- ^ Full Coverage Kenya: Railway to Be Overhauled
- ^ EuropeArabBank
- ^ International Railway News: Kenya’s railroad to be overhauled
- ^ SudanTribune article : Sudanese rail project caught in muddle of Kenyan politics
- ^ Chirau A. Mwakwere, EGH, MP: Speech at KICC Nairobi, Kenya, October 2007
- ^ : 98.4 Capital FM News :
- ^ afrika.no – Rwanda/Tanzania: East Africa’s first wide gauge railway line to be built
- ^ http://africanpress.wordpress.com/2008/10/05/more-investors-sought-for-kenya-uganda-railway-system-following-failure-of-rvr/
- ^ http://constructionreviewonline.com/2015/04/kenya-start-phase-ii-standard-gauge-railway-project-july/
Further reading
- Boyles, Denis; Rose, Alan (1991). Man Eaters Motel and other stops on the railway to nowhere: an East African traveller's nightbook, including a summary history of Zanzibar and an account of the slaughter at Tsavo: together with a sketch of life in Nairobi and at Lake Victoria, a brief and worried visit to the Ugandan border, and a survey of angling in the Aberdares. New York: Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 039558082X.
- Patience, Kevin (1976). Steam in East Africa: a pictorial history of the railways in East Africa, 1893–1976. Nairobi: Heinemann Educational Books (E.A.) Ltd. OCLC 3781370.
- Ramaer, Roel (1974). Steam Locomotives of the East African Railways. David & Charles Locomotive Studies. Newton Abbot, North Pomfret: David & Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-6437-6. OCLC 832692810. OL 5110018M. Wikidata Q111363478.
- Ramaer, Roel (2009). Gari la Moshi: Steam Locomotives of the East African Railways. Malmö: Stenvalls. ISBN 978-91-7266-172-1. OCLC 502034710. Wikidata Q111363479.
- Robinson, Neil (2009). World Rail Atlas and Historical Summary. Volume 7: North, East and Central Africa. Barnsley, UK: World Rail Atlas Ltd. ISBN 978-954-92184-3-5.
External links
- Winchester, Clarence, ed. (1936), "Through desert and jungle", Railway Wonders of the World, pp. 193–199 illustrated description of the Kenyan railways
- Gallery
Media related to Rail transport in Kenya at Wikimedia Commons
