Kenya Railway Assessment 

Metre Gauge Railway (MGR) has a total length of 2,052 Kms of rail within Kenya including five branch lines. SGR has total 592 kms of rail network in Kenya.  

The MGR network mainline, and branch lines is as below:

1. Mombasa – Nairobi. This network is fully functional and complements SGR in the transportation of Steel products, both local and transit. It also transports petroleum products, conventional cargo, and Caustic soda from Magadi for export.  

Railway material is 95lbs rails laid on K-type steel sleepers. Some heavily curved sections are laid with 115lbs rails which are wear resistant due to increased abrasion. 

2. Voi – Taveta Branch line. This line is approximately 100km from Voi to Taveta border and it was used for transport of cargo from the Port of Mombasa to the northern side of Tanzania due to the shorter distance. 

This line is laid on a mixed rail material of 50lbs, 60lbs and 66lbs German type with variety of suitable fittings and fastenings. 

The line is currently not operational due to deferred maintenance on the Kenyan side and serious vandalism and wash ways on the Tanzanian side. 

3. Nairobi – Nanyuki line. This branch line is operational and is used in the transportation of fuel to Vivo Nanyuki depot, fertilizer, cereals, and livestock. It also has a passenger service. 

The line is laid with 80lbs rail material up to Thika, Delmonte. From here its 50lbs to Nanyuki, hence limiting the type of locomotive that can access this section to Nanyuki. 

4. Nairobi – Nakuru – Eldoret – Malaba – Kampala 

This line is active and is used for transit conveyances to Uganda, Rwanda, and DRC Congo. At Malaba, there is a KRA approved container holding yard which is owned by KRC. Containers arriving at Malaba by rails are offloaded in the yard to await evacuation by lorries. There is also a parking yard for the lorries at Malaba for trucks awaiting loadings ex-rail. 

This section is laid on 80lbs rail materials hence its accessible to huge locomotives. This increases the haulable capacity per train. 

5. Nakuru – Kisumu. This branch line is active and is used for cargo destined for Kisumu.  

and its periphery. It is also used for cargo connecting the ferry to Port Bell in Uganda. 

6. Konza - Magadi. The line branches off from the MSA – NRB mainline at Konza. Its privately owned by Tata Chemicals and it is used in the transportation of mined caustic soda from Magadi soda to the port of Mombasa. 

7. Gilgil – Nyahururu. This line is operational but passive. 

Challenges facing MGR network. 

1. Slow speeds of an average of 35 KPH due to dilapidated railway infrastructure and rolling stock has had negative impact on wagon utilization and turnaround time. 

2. Line closure due to accidents and incidences 

3. Challenge in sourcing funds for rehabilitation of rail network and revamping of rolling stock, construction of SGR network into the hinterland. 

4. Perpetual failure of the diesel locomotives 

5. Increasing competition from road transportation who offer closed end to end service unlike railway that requires last mile connection using other modes. other modes. 

6. Non-aligned development of rail transport in the East Africa region. 

Planned improvements. 

• Rehabilitation of the MGR line west of Nairobi. This involves changing of worn-out rails and steel sleepers, ballasting and geometry correction.  

• Acquisition of new high capacity rolling stock of carriage capacity of up to seventy tons. 

• Acquisition of new locomotives 

• Connecting the SGR to the region. Discussions are ongoing. 

 

Meter Guage Railway  

MGR has a fleet of forty-three locomotives and 2850 wagons of different configurations. These includes flat wagons, covered wagons for bagged products, oil and petroleum tanks, hoppers, and High sided wagons for conventional cargo, among others. 

An MGR train typically can haul approximately seven hundred tons of payload. In the case of light consignments, this can extend to about forty wagons to allow for loop crossings. 

All the ICDs of Nairobi, Naivasha, Eldoret, Kisumu and Malaba are served with MGR line. The MGR line also connects to the Link Span in Kisumu to enable loading of wagons into the ferry. Currently, the Port lines at the Kisumu Port is being upgraded from the current fifty pounds to eighty pounds to allow for larger locomotives. 

 

STANDARD GAUGE RAILWAY 

The SGR construction was undertaken due to the requirement for high speeds, increased capacity, reliable and safe network. The MGR service, then under the Concessionaire Rift Valley Railways, had deteriorated and did not meet the Service Level Agreements. This poor service led to a high rail-road modal split that created a mess on the roads. 

The SGR nodes includes Port Reitz yard, which is loading and marshalling yard with fifteen lines within the Port of Mombasa, Nairobi Yard, and ICD and finally Naivasha ICD. 

The length of the line is 472KM from Mombasa to Nairobi and 120KM from Nairobi to Naivasha ICD. At Naivasha- ICD, there are both the SGR and MGR lines, both spanned by 2 Rail Mounted Gantries. This enables seamless container transhipment from the SGR wagons to the MGR wagons and vice versa as well as from the lorries onto the wagons. After this transhipment, the consignments are then cleared for onwards movement to Malaba border and beyond. 

SGR capacity 

The SGR system has forty-six locomotives and 1,600 rolling stocks of different configurations. 

A rake of SGR train can convey a maximum of 108 TEUS in one run operating a speed of 80KPH for freight and 120KPH for passenger train. Currently the SGR freight service do an average of eight trains daily from Port Reitz to Nairobi with a transit time of about 9 hours. This is in addition to six passenger trains daily from both directions.  

 For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: HQ staff will input a link to section 4.1 Government Contact List here. 

Attributes of SGR operations 

1. Speed. The SGR freight train operates at a speed of 80KPH. This makes it possible to cover the distance between Mombasa and Nairobi in 9hr to 10 hrs. There are thirty-three stations between Msa and Nrb, of which eight are passenger stations. The passenger train operations speed is 120KPH. 

2. Reliability. The SGR service has a reliability index of close to 95%. 

3. Operational safety. The safety level of SGR can be described as commendable. Since commencement of the SGR operations, both passenger and Freight, there has not been any mainline accident. This is because of the robust inspection and maintenance regime adopted by the SGR operator. 

4. Technology. SGR has deployed a good measure of modern railway technology to ensure efficiency. It has a dedicated power line to power the massive telecommunication infrastructure, two-line fibre optic cable, ETC0 train management system, axle counters and a robust train signalling system. 

5. Training. SGR has invested a huge amount of money staff training and development, both locally as well as in China. This is to ensure competence and minimum room for error. 

 

Map of Mombasa – Nairobi – Naivasha SGR line 

_____________      Constructed section. 

============        Pending section 

 

Travel Time Matrix 

Travel Time from Capital City to Major Towns in hours 

	Capital  Nairobi	Sultan Hamud   A	Makindu    B	Mtito Andei   C	VOI     D	Maungu    E	Mariakani    F	Mombasa      G
Capital  Nairobi		4	8	11	16	18	22	24
Limuru	4	8	12	15	20	22	26	28
Naivasha	8	12	16	19	24	26	30	32
*Nakuru	12	16	20	23	28	30	34	36
Timboroa	36	40	44	47	52	54	58	60
*Eldoret	40	44	48	51	56	58	62	64
Bungoma	60	64	68	71	76	78	82	84
*Malaba	68	72	76	79	84	86	90	92

 

Transit time for Metre Gauge Railway 

Mombasa to Nairobi – 32 hours 

Nairobi to Nakuru – 18 hours 

Nakuru to Eldoret – 16 hours 

Eldoret to Malaba border – 12 hours 

Nakuru to Kisumu – 16 hours 

 

Transit time for Standard Gauge Railway 

Mombasa to Nairobi – 9 hours 

Nairobi to Suswa – 2 hours 

 

Railway Companies and Consortia 

1. Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC): KRC is a state corporation responsible for the development and maintenance of railway infrastructure in Kenya. It oversees major railway projects and works in collaboration with various partners. 

2. China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC): CRBC, a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), has been a significant player in the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project in Kenya. They were involved in the development of the Mombasa-Nairobi and Nairobi-Naivasha sections of the SGR. 

3. Africa Star Railway Operation Company: This is a consortium involving China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and China Communications Construction Company (CCCC). The consortium has been involved in the operation and maintenance of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya. 

4. Lapsset Corridor Development Authority (LCDA): While not a railway company per se, LCDA is responsible for the implementation and coordination of the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) corridor project, which includes railway components connecting Lamu to South Sudan and Ethiopia. 

5. Kisumu Port Consortium: This consortium is involved in the redevelopment and expansion of the Kisumu port and the revival of the railway line connecting Kisumu to the hinterland. 

For more information on railway company contact details, please see the following link: 4.9 Railway Companies Contact.  

 

Capacity Table 

Rail Operator Capacity 

	Operator /  Company Name  Kenya Railways - SGR	Operator /  Company Name  Kenya Railways - MGR	Operator /  Company Name
Lines Operates On	Mombasa to Nairobi  Nairobi to Suswa	Mombasa – Malaba line  Nakuru –Kisumu – Butere line  Eldoret – Kitale line	List lines
Max Train Length and / or Pulling Capacity	Fifty-six wagons per standard train. Wagon length fifteen metres	Twenty-two wagons per standard train. Wagon length fifteen metres
Locomotives	Diesel electric	Diesel electric	Electric / Diesel / Steam
Covered Freight Wagons Size (m)	Sixteen metres long	Fifteen metres long
Flatbed Freight Wagons Size (m)	Fifteen metres long	Fifteen metres long
High-sided Freight Wagons Size (m)	Fifteen metres long	Fifteen metres long
Drop-side Freight Wagons Size (m)	Fifteen metres long	Fifteen metres long

 

Key Route Information 

Standard Route Information 

	Route A  MSA-NRB	Route B  NRB-NYK	Route C  NRB-NKR-MLB	Route D  NKR-KSM
Track Gauge	1,000mm	1,000mm	1,000mm	1,000mm
Ruling Gradient	1.5%	4.0%	1.5%	2.5%
Total Track Distance	Single	Single	Single	Single
Type of Rail	95 lbs & 120lbs	80lbs (Nrb-Thika)  50lbs (Thika - Nanyuki)	80lbs	80lbs up to Mau S  60lbs up to Kisumu
Type of Sleeper and Fastenings	Steel sleepers,  A,B,K, pandrol	Steel sleepers,  A, B, K, pandrol	Steel sleepers,  A, B, K, pandrol	Steel sleepers,  A, B, K, pandrol
Total Track Travel Time
Maintenance	Good	Good	Marginal	Marginal
Companies / Consortiums Operating online	NONE	NONE	NONE	NONE
Traffic Frequency	Daily	Daily	Daily	Daily
Security	Good	Good	Good	Good
Main Stations

 

Key Stations 

	Station Name	Station Name	Station Name
Location	Mombasa Port	Inland Container Depots – Naivasha and Nairobi
Contact Information	Kenya Ports Authority	Kenya Ports Authority
Connections with Other  Transport Means	Road connection	Road connection	Road / Waterways / Air
Storage Capacity  (m2 and m3)	-	-
Handling Equipment	-	-
Handling Capacity	MT / Hour  TEU / Hour	MT / Hour  TEU / Hour	MT / Hour  TEU / Hour
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