The Nairobi–Malaba Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is the project of

standard-gauge railway A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...

that should connect

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, Department (country subdivision), department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city ...

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

to Malaba, at the international border with

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

. The Nairobi–Malaba SGR was to connect other standard gauge railways in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, under the

East African Railway Master Plan The East African Railway Master Plan is a proposal for rejuvenating the railways serving Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda and adding railways to serve Rwanda and Burundi. The objective is to further the economic development of eastern Africa by increa ...

. The KSh700 billion (US$7 billion) project, was to be built in phases. The only part built is the Nairobi–Naivasha section, which was inaugurated on 16 October 2019. The

Naivasha Naivasha is a large town in Nakuru County, Kenya, lying by road north west of Nairobi. Overview The town has a total population of 198,444 (2019 census). The main industry is agriculture, especially floriculture. Naivasha is also a popular t ...

–

Kisumu Kisumu ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Kenya by population, third-largest city in Kenya after the capital, Nairobi, and the coastal city of Mombasa (census 2019). It is the third-largest city after Kampala and Mwanza in the Lake Victor ...

Section was to follow and finally the Kisumu–Malaba Section to conclude the Kenya Standard Gauge Railway System. As per end of 2022 further extension of standard gauge from Naivasha in the

Rift Valley A rift valley is a linear shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges created by the action of a geologic rift. Rifts are formed as a result of the pulling apart of the lithosphere due to extensional tectonics. The linear dep ...

looks unlikely.

Route

This part of the SGR is divided into three sections.

Nairobi-Naivasha section

This section begins at

Nairobi Terminus Nairobi Terminus is a railway station on the Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) located in Syokimau, just south of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Two passenger trains leave the station everyday, an inter-county train that stops at all ...

Syokimau Syokimau is a residential area in the west of Machakos County, Kenya, just south of Nairobi and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The place is named after the legendary Akamba medicine woman Prophetess Syokimau. Syokimau Prophesied the comin ...

, near

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Jomo Kenyatta International Airport , is an international airport in Nairobi, the capital of and largest city in Kenya. The other three important international airports in Kenya include the Kisumu International Airport, Moi International Airp ...

and ends at

Suswa Suswa is a small town along the main road from Nairobi to Narok town and at the foot of Mount Suswa in Narok County. Suswa is also a ward in Narok East sub-county. The Suswa sub-station is located just outside town and electricity that is generate ...

Narok County Narok County is a county in Kenya with an estimated population of 1,157,873 according to 2019 Census, with the dominant ethnic group being the Maasai. Its capital and largest town is Narok. The other major urban centre in Narok County is Kilgor ...

, measuring . Designed for passenger and freight traffic, the section was estimated to cost KSh150 billion (US$1.5 billion). China Communication Construction Company was the lead contractor. President Kenyatta inaugurated this section during a celebration at Maai Mahiu SGR Terminus on 16 October 2019. Train stations are located at

Ongata Rongai Ongata Rongai (also known as Ronga in local slang) is a town located in Kajiado North, Kajiado County, Kenya. The town is situated south of the Nairobi CBD and East of the Ngong hills and within the greater Nairobi Metropolitan Region. It li ...

, Ngong, Maai Mahiu, and

, with an interchange station at Nachu. This section crosses

Nairobi National Park Nairobi National Park is a national park in Kenya that was established in 1946 about south of Nairobi. It is fenced on three sides, whereas the open southern boundary allows migrating wildlife to move between the park and the adjacent Kitengel ...

on a bridge, between Nairobi Terminus and Ongata Rongai stations. As per year 2022, the line is open as far as Suswa, south of Naivasha, in the Rift Valley.

Naivasha-Kisumu section

This section, measuring , was intended to pass through

Narok Narok (sometimes referred to as Narok Town) is a town west of Nairobi that supports Kenya's economy in south-west of the country, along the Great Rift Valley. Narok is the district capital of the Narok County and stands as the major centre of ...

Bomet Bomet is the capital and largest town of Bomet County, Kenya. Bomet town has a total population of 110,963 (2009 census). It is located along the B3 Mai Mahiu-Narok-Kisii road. Bomet city is one of the eight sister cities to Milwaukee. Etymol ...

Nyamira Nyamira is a town in Kenya. It is the capital of its Nyamira County. It has an urban population of around 10.000 (1999 censusThe main government hospital is Nyamira District Hospital with a bed capacity of 203. Notable people *Emily Orwaru ...

to end at

, in 2019 the sixth largest city of Kenya. The design of the project included upgrading the port of Kisumu. This section of the SGR was budgeted at KSh370 (US$3.7 billion), intended to be funded with a loan from

Exim Bank of China The Export–Import Bank of China (Chexim - China Exim Bank) () is one of two institutional banks in China chartered to implement the state policies in industry, foreign trade, economy, and foreign aid to other developing countries, and prov ...

. With the upgraded port on

Lake Victoria Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface area after ...

and rail transport without break of gauge cargo could have been shipped on the lake to and from

Mwanza Mwanza City, also known as Rock City to the residents, is a port city and capital of Mwanza Region on the southern shore of Lake Victoria in north-western Tanzania. With an urban population of 1,182,000 in 2021, it is Tanzania's second largest cit ...

and

Musoma Musoma is a city in the east shore of lake Victoria of Tanzania. It is the capital of Mara Region, one of the administrative Regions of Tanzania. It also serves as the administrative centre of Musoma Rural District and Musoma Urban District. Lo ...

in Tanzania as well as

Bukasa Bukasa Inland Port is a planned inland port in Uganda. Location The port would be located along the northern shores of Lake Victoria, on approximately in the neighborhood of Bukasa in Wakiso District, approximately , by road, south-east of the ...

Port Bell A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

and Jinja in Uganda efficiently. In 2017 an opening of the line, possibly through to Uganda, was predicted for 2020. The plans not materialising due to lack of funding, five years later a project to rebuild the metre gauge line from the Ugandan capital Kampala to the frontier and onwards to the existing Kenyan metre gauge railway found funding from the African Develoment Bank.

Kisumu-Malaba section

The SGR between Kisumu and Malaba on the frontier to Uganda should pass through Yala and

Mumias Mumias is a town in Kakamega County of Kenya. The town has an urban population of 116,358 (2009 census). Mumias was the centre of the Mumias District. The town is linked by road to Kakamega (in east), Busia (west), Bungoma (north), Butere But ...

, being long. The Exim Bank of China has proposed the funding the Ugandan section Malaba-Kampala. A funding agreement was expected to be signed in September 2018, in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. End of 2019 the standard gauge from Kisumu to Uganda hardly becoming reality, the intention was to connect the Naivasha-Kisumu SGR section to the existing metre gauge railway to Kampala. In December 2022 rehabilitation of the metre gauge from Kisumu to Kampala in Uganda was in progress.

Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway

In 2011, Kenya signed a memorandum of understanding with the

China Road and Bridge Corporation China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), a subsidiary of Fortune Global 500 company China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), focuses on global civil engineering and construction projects such as highways, railways, bridges, ports, and ...

to build a standard-gauge railway from Mombasa to Nairobi. The project cost US$3.6 billion. Financing was finalized in May 2014, with the Exim Bank of China extending a loan for 90 percent of the project cost and the remaining 10 percent coming from the Kenyan government. Laying of the track was completed in December 2016. Passenger service was officially inaugurated on 31 May 2017. Freight service began commercial operation on 1 January 2018. China Communications Construction Company will operate the railway for the first five years.

Gallery

Construction of Ngong Road SGR bridge.jpg, Construction of Ngong Road SGR bridge Construction of SGR railway near Ngong.jpg, Construction of SGR railway near Ngong

References

External links

Kenya commits to SGR reaching Malaba
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nairobi-Malaba Standard Gauge Railway Railway lines in Kenya Standard gauge railways in Kenya Chinese aid to Africa