Thursday, April 29, 2021 – Anxiety has gripped the people of Western Kenya after Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) began rebuilding 31 trains ahead of the launch of Nairobi – Kisumu train service.
In a statement yesterday, KRC noted that the refurbishment is being done by the state-owned Numerical Machining Complex (NMC) Limited.
The revelation was made by KRC Chairman, Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Pastor Awitta during a joint meeting with Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation (ICDC) Chairman John Ngumi.
The two had gone on a familiarization tour of the Numerical Machining Complex at the Nairobi Central Railway workshops.
The project is being carried out in partnership with the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
“Kenya Railways is refurbishing 31 locomotives to increase capacity in preparation for operations along the Longonot – Malaba Metre Gauge Railway (MGR) section and the Nakuru-Kisumu MGR branch line which are currently under rehabilitation.”
“Among the 31 locomotives, 9 are being rehabilitated and 22 others are undergoing an overhaul under the partnership between Kenya Railways and Kenya Defense Forces (KDF),” read a statement from KRC.
In mid-April, the corporation announced that it embarked on an ambitious multi-billion project of rehabilitating the Longonot-Eldoret-Malaba metre-gauge line.
Awitta estimated that the works would take between seven and eight months to be completed.
The two projects are an addition to various railway lines that have been under rehabilitation in recent months aimed at connecting Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to the Western region.
Towards the end of March, KRC was engaged in the refurbishment of the Nairobi-Kisumu Railway which at a cost of Ksh3.7 billion.
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