Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway
| Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Heavy rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Operational | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini |
Mombasa Nairobi |
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| Operation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 31 May 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Character | Fully grade-separated | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 485 km (301 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrification | None | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating speed | 120 km/h (75 mph) (passenger) 80 km/h (50 mph) (freight) |
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The Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is a standard gauge railway that connects the port city of Mombasa to Kenya's capital city Nairobi. The railway replaces the parallel and colonial Uganda Railway that was originally built during the British colonial rule in the 19th century. Under the East African Railway Master Plan, the Mombasa–Nairobi SGR will link up with other standard gauge railways that are being built in East Africa. Construction is already under way on Phase II of the Kenya SGR, which will extend the railway to the Uganda border by 2021.
Tracklaying was completed in December 2016, and the passenger train service was inaugurated on 31 May 2017, 18 months ahead of schedule. Passenger services began commercial operation on Madaraka Day 2017, and the nonstop passenger train is named the Madaraka Express. Cargo services will begin commercial operation in January 2018. The China Communications Construction Company will be operating the railway for the first five years.
The prime contractor on the railway was the China Road and Bridge Corporation. The project is estimated to cost US$3.6 billion, with 90% supplied by a loan from the Exim Bank of China and 10% coming from the Kenyan government. 25,000 Kenyans were hired to work on the railway. The design capacity of the railway is 22 million tonnes per year.
The SGR begins at Port Reitz, just west of Mombasa Island. The new line runs generally parallel to the old metre gauge railway, but it follows a straighter alignment that allows for higher speeds. Passenger trains run between Mombasa Terminus in Miritini and Nairobi Terminus at Syokimau, near Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Freight services are provided between Port Reitz and an inland container depot at Embakasi in Nairobi.
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Wikipedia