Kenya Railways Corporation

Kenya Railways Corporation
(KRC)

Logo of the Kenya Railways Corp. (KRC)
Type	Government-owned corporation
Industry	Public Transport
Predecessor	KURH (1929) EARC (1948)
Founded	1977
Headquarters	Nairobi, Nairobi County Kenya
Products	Railway and Commuter rail transportation
Website	krc.co.ke

Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC), also Kenya Railways (KR) is the national railway of Kenya. Established in 1977, KR is a state corporation.

The original Uganda Railway was transformed into the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation (EARC) after World War I. The EARC managed the railways of Uganda, Kenya, and Tanganyika until the collapse of the East African Community in 1977. Subsequently KR took over the Kenyan part of the EARC.

Like the other members of the EAC Kenya utilizes the narrow gauge track gauge of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) (metre gauge). The reason was that when the British started the railway construction in 1896 they utilized material and workers from India. The Indian gauge and rolling stock was 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in).

The mainline of the KR is based on the original Uganda Railway. Its 930 km (578 mi) main track connected the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa to the port of Kisumu at Lake Victoria. Half way is the capital of Nairobi that was founded as a rail depot of the UR. The British added several branch lines as well as a link to Tanzania and a link to Uganda - the total system eventually had 2,778 km (1,726 mi) of track.

As of 2006 much of the overall railway system has been neglected or is in disrepair. Nevertheless, the mainline from Mombasa to Kisumu is operative though at reduced speed. For passengers, the "Jumbo Kenya Deluxe" connects Nairobi and Mombasa. The fourteen-hour overnight trip runs three times a week either eastbound or westbound on the single track. The "Port Florence Express" connects Nairobi with Kisumu.