Kenya: Second railway line to ease traffic jams
Posted: 12 Jun 2013, 12:09
Second railway line to ease traffic jams
Daily Nation | 11 June 2013
Plans for the construction of a second railway line between Mombasa and Nairobi are at an advanced stage.
Heavy traffic jams on roads and the dilapidated infrastructure were due to failure by the railway system to deliver, Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau said Tuesday.
Mr Kamau said the frequent traffic congestion at Changamwe, Jomvu and Mariakani was a serious economic problem that must be resolved.
He said the multi-billion-shilling standard gauge railway would solve part of the problem.
The project would start in the coming financial year, Mr Kamau told journalists outside the Kenya Ports Authority headquarters after a closed-door meeting with port managers, top railway staff, departmental heads and other stakeholders.
He was on his maiden tour of the port following his swearing-in by President Uhuru Kenyatta recently.
The Cabinet Secretary said his ministry had presented its budget estimates to Parliament and hoped that MPs would approve it given the importance of infrastructure.
“Upon its concession to the Rift Valley Railways seven years ago, the railways was handling 1.5 million tonnes of cargo. Today, it handles less than 1 million tonnes and this is unacceptable,†he said.
He stated that the Jubilee government’s agenda was that roads should serve passengers and railways goods.
And time was ripe to turn talk into action, said Mr Kamau. “We have talked for too long in Kenya and must realise that other countries are not asleep. Now let us wake up.â€
The Cabinet Secretary described the transport sector as “the key economic driverâ€. However, the country had not done enough to drive up the sector.
He said there had been too much bureaucracy in doing things.
Daily Nation | 11 June 2013
Plans for the construction of a second railway line between Mombasa and Nairobi are at an advanced stage.
Heavy traffic jams on roads and the dilapidated infrastructure were due to failure by the railway system to deliver, Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau said Tuesday.
Mr Kamau said the frequent traffic congestion at Changamwe, Jomvu and Mariakani was a serious economic problem that must be resolved.
He said the multi-billion-shilling standard gauge railway would solve part of the problem.
The project would start in the coming financial year, Mr Kamau told journalists outside the Kenya Ports Authority headquarters after a closed-door meeting with port managers, top railway staff, departmental heads and other stakeholders.
He was on his maiden tour of the port following his swearing-in by President Uhuru Kenyatta recently.
The Cabinet Secretary said his ministry had presented its budget estimates to Parliament and hoped that MPs would approve it given the importance of infrastructure.
“Upon its concession to the Rift Valley Railways seven years ago, the railways was handling 1.5 million tonnes of cargo. Today, it handles less than 1 million tonnes and this is unacceptable,†he said.
He stated that the Jubilee government’s agenda was that roads should serve passengers and railways goods.
And time was ripe to turn talk into action, said Mr Kamau. “We have talked for too long in Kenya and must realise that other countries are not asleep. Now let us wake up.â€
The Cabinet Secretary described the transport sector as “the key economic driverâ€. However, the country had not done enough to drive up the sector.
He said there had been too much bureaucracy in doing things.