Kenya Railways Announces the First Date of Nakuru-Kisumu Train Trip
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- March 25, 2021
The Kenya Defence Forces which was given the role of renovating the Nakuru-Kisumu Railway line on Wednesday, March 25th, handed over the railway line to the KRC Managing Director, Philip Mainga.
Giving an address after the inspection, Mr Mainga said that the first passenger train is expected to be around November this year.
“We are looking forward to having a Christmas gift for the people of this region by moving the first passenger train between November and December,” said Mainga.
He also added that within a month, he is expecting the renovations of all stations along the route to have been fully repaired.
This milestone is set to boost the economy of the region and the residents are hopeful that the revival of the line will bring back to life the desolate towns along the railway line such as Miwani, Kibigori, Kibos, Muhoroni and Koru which were once a beehive of activity years back.
“There are so many other things, but we are looking forward to having this line operational by June. We have been using Malaba as the only corridor in the North, but now with Nakuru-Kisumu Railway line coming up, we are creating two avenues where cargo will be moving to the region,” added Mainga.
The three day inspection tour of the railway line was attended by Rift Valley Regional Commissioner, George Natembeya and the Nyanza Regional Commissioner, Magu Mutindika among other government officials.
The quest to revive the line, one of the key projects of President Uhuru Kenyatta, gained momentum earlier last year when the president and the ODM party leader, Raila Odinga, toured the line during their visit to Kisumu.
The renovated metre-gauge line will connect to the refurbished Port of Kisumu, which will increase the ferrying of goods and passengers to other Eastern Africa countries through Lake Victoria.
