The Kenya Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is a partially finished railway system connecting Kenya's cities. Once completed, it will link the country to the neighboring country of

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

, and through Uganda, to

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

, the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

, and

Burundi Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop ...

. There are also plans to link to

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

, in neighboring

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

to the north. The first segment, between Mombasa and Nairobi, opened passenger rail service in June 2017, and freight rail service in January 2018. Other segments are under construction or planned. The new standard gauge railway is intended to replace the old, inefficient

metre-gauge Metre-gauge railways ( US: meter-gauge railways) are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre. Metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by several European colonial powers including France, Britain and ...

railway system.

Location

The railway system consists of several major sections: ; Mombasa–Nairobi Section This section, measuring , is known as the

Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway The Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, completed in 2017, was built as the first phase of the Kenya Standard Gauge Railway. It is a standard-gauge railway (SGR) in Kenya that connects the large Indian Ocean city of Mombasa with Nairobi, ...

, and connects the port city of

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

and

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

, the capital and largest city of Kenya. Passenger rail services between Mombasa and Nairobi started on 1 June 2017, and freight rail services on 1 January 2018. It was built between October 2016 and January 2018, by

China Road and Bridge Corporation China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), is a Chinese state-owned construction and engineering firm that focuses on global infrastructure projects such as highways, skyways, rai ...

, at a cost of US$3.6 billion, 90 per cent of which was borrowed from the

Exim Bank of China Exim is a mail transfer agent (MTA) used on Unix-like operating systems. Exim is a free software distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License, and it aims to be a general and flexible mailer with extensive facilities for checkin ...

, with the Kenyan government providing the remaining 10 per cent. ; Nairobi–Naivasha Section This section was also contracted to the company that constructed the Mombasa–Nairobi Section. The line stretches from Nairobi to

Naivasha Naivasha is a town in Nakuru County, Kenya, north west of Nairobi. From 1969, the population expanded by a factor of 17 times to over 355,383 at the 2019 census. It is situated on the shores of Lake Naivasha, from which it takes its name. The ...

, a distance of about , at cost of KSh. 150 billion (US$1.5 billion), borrowed from the China Export-Import Bank. Construction began in 2018 and the line was officially opened for passenger train service in October 2019. International freight for neighbouring countries interchanges at the Naivasha Inland Container Depot. ; Naivasha–Kisumu Section This section, measuring , stretching from

Kisumu Kisumu ( ) is the third-largest city in Kenya located in the Lake Victoria area in the former Nyanza Province. It is the second-largest city after Kampala in the Lake Victoria Basin. The city has a population of slightly over 600,000. The ...

, on the eastern shores of

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 tropics, tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface are ...

, is contracted to

China Communications Construction Company China Communications Construction Company, Ltd. (CCCC) is a Chinese majority state-owned, publicly traded, multinational engineering and construction company primarily engaged in the design, construction, and operation of infrastructure assets, ...

, at a budgeted cost of KSh. 380 billion (US$3.8 billion), borrowed from China Exim Bank. Loan papers between Kenya and China were scheduled for signatures in September 2018, but were deferred until a commercial viability study is conducted on the entire Mombasa–Kisumu railway. ; Kisumu–Malaba Section This section, measuring approximately , takes the SGR line to the town of Malaba, at the international border with Uganda. CCCC, is the contractor for this section as well. The contract price for this section is about KSh. 169 billion (US$1.69 billion). The price for the Naivasha–Kisumu–Malaba section is KSh. 549 billion (US$5.49 billion) and includes the laying of railway tracks in both sections, dredging and expansion of the port of Kisumu, and the expansion and modernization of the inland container depot at

Embakasi Embakasi is a neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi. It is approximately , southeast of the central business district. Embakasi is considered part of Nairobi's Eastlands area, lying to the south-east of Nairobi County. The Embakasi proper cover ...

, in Nairobi. In May 2024, the

indicated willingness to fund the extension of the Kenya SGR to the Ugandan border at Malaba. ; Lamu–Lokichar-Nakodok Section LAPSSET

This railway line, totaling , is a component of the

Lamu Port and Lamu-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor The Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor project, also known as Lamu corridor is a transport and infrastructure project in Kenya that, when complete, will be the country's second transport corridor. Kenya's other transpor ...

(LAPSSET) development project. Under the LAPSSET plan, this line would be extended to

Juba Juba is the capital and largest city of South Sudan. The city is situated on the White Nile and also serves as the capital of the Central Equatoria, Central Equatoria State. It is the most recently declared national capital and had a populatio ...

in South Sudan. ; Nairobi–Moyale Section This section also falls under the LAPSSET program. It extends from Nairobi to Moyale, at the international border with Kenya's northern neighbor. It is planned to be extended to

, the capital city of Ethiopia. In January 2024, Kenya Railways Corporation estimated the cost for this section at Ksh835.5 billion (US$5.57 billion), with the link from Nairobi to Isiolo costing Ksh358.8 billion (US$2.392 billion) and the remaining stretch to Moyale costing Ksh476.7 billion (US$3.178 billion). ; Naivasha–Lokichar Section This proposed railway link, measuring an estimated , would link the two main standard gauge railway systems in Kenya; the Mombasa–Malaba SGR System and the Lamu–Nakodok SGR System.

Overview

This 1435 mm (4 ft in) railway line is intended to ease the transfer of goods and passengers between the port of

and the cities of

and

, in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

Kigali Kigali () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali is a relativ ...

and subsequently to

Bujumbura Bujumbura (; ), formerly Usumbura, is the economic capital, largest city and main port of Burundi. It ships most of the country's chief export, coffee, as well as cotton and tin ore. Bujumbura was formerly the country's political capital. In la ...

in Burundi,

and to

Goma Goma is a city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the North Kivu, North Kivu Province; it is located on the northern shore of Lake Kivu and shares borders with the Bukumu Chiefdo ...

and

Bunia Bunia is the capital Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, city of Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It was part of the Orientale Province until that province's dissolution. It lies at an elevation of on a ...

in the

. In March 2019, during a state visit to Kenya, President

Yoweri Museveni Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and Officer (armed forces), military officer who is the ninth and current president of Uganda since 1986. As of 2025, he is the third-List of current state lead ...

of Uganda and his host, President

Uhuru Kenyatta Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta ( born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. The son of Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first president, he previously served as Prime Minister of Kenya, Deputy Pri ...

of Kenya, jointly, publicly committed to extend the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to Kampala via Malaba. The Kenyan government in 2020 reached a deal with AfriStar to take over operations and maintenance by May 2022. Kenya received its first SGR rolling stock in May 2017: 18 locomotives and 60 double-stack container cars. In early February 2024, Kenya received a second batch of 50 cars, with an additional 250 cars to be delivered within the month. 20 of the expected wagons will have power plugins to enable the movement of refrigerated containers, while another 20 will be passenger coaches.

Beyond Kenya

Originally envisioned to extend to

Kisangani Kisangani (), formerly Stanleyville (), is the capital of Tshopo, Tshopo Province, located on the Congo River in the eastern part of the central Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the country's fifth-most populous urban a ...

, in line with the East Africa Railway Masterplan, the SGR project ran into political and financial hurdles, caused by Uganda's initial wait-and-see approach, and Chinese hesitance to fund the Naivasha-Kisumu, Kisumu-Malaba, and Malaba-Kampala sections due to economic slowdown. Since 2023, Kenya and Uganda have embarked on a joint initiative to fund the completion of the SGR to Kampala, with Kenya announcing the commencement of works on the Naivasha-Kisumu section in 2024. In May 2024,

and the

committed to join the Kenyan-Ugandan initiative and funding drive, with an aim to extend the SGR to

and

Standards

The lines are being built according to Chinese standards. * Gauge:

Standard gauge 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 in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...

* Couplers: Janney AAR * Brakes:

Air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

* Electrification:

Overhead catenary An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, Electric multiple unit, electric multiple units, trolleybuses or trams. The generic term used by the International Union ...

25 kV AC Railway electrification systems using alternating current (AC) at are used worldwide, especially for high-speed rail. It is usually supplied at the standard utility frequency (typically 50 or 60Hz), which simplifies traction substations. The dev ...

/ 50 Hz * Target speed (passenger): * Target speed (freight): * Maximum train load (freight): tonnes gross * Designed transport capacity: 20 million tonnes annually * Gross transport capacity: 24.9 million tonnes annually (taking double-track sections into account) *

Minimum railway curve radius The minimum railway curve radius is the shortest allowable design radius for the centerline of railway tracks under a particular set of conditions. It has an important bearing on construction costs and operating costs and, in combination with ...

: ( at difficult locations) * Maximum (ruling) gradient: 1.85 % (1 in 54) * Length of arrival & departure track at

passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains o ...

s: (dual locomotive: ) esulting max. train length ~ref name="ShimelisAtile" /> * Maximum vehicle

loading gauge A loading gauge is a diagram or physical structure that defines the maximum height and width dimensions in railway vehicles and their loads. Their purpose is to ensure that rail vehicles can pass safely through tunnels and under bridges, and k ...

height: * Trains run on the:

Left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * ''Left'' (Helmet album), 2023 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relativ ...

Railway signalling Railway signalling (), or railroad signaling (), is a system used to control the movement of railway traffic. Trains move on fixed rails, making them uniquely susceptible to collision. This susceptibility is exacerbated by the enormous weight ...

train protection system A train protection system is a railway technical installation to ensure safe operation in the event of human error. Development Train stops The earliest systems were train stops, as still used by the New York City Subway, the Toronto rapid ...

automatic block signaling Automatic block signaling (ABS), spelled automatic block signalling or called track circuit block (TCB ) in the UK, is a railroad communications system that consists of a series of signals that divide a railway line into a series of sections, ...

& ETCS-2 SIL4 *

Level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line or the road etc. crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, o ...

s: permitted (no full

grade separation In civil engineering (more specifically highway engineering), grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights ( grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other tr ...

) * double stack ISO containers = 2 x or 2 x (unknown) on well cars.

References

External links