This archive report was first published on 19 September 2019.
The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project has reached a major milestone with the completion of the second phase from Nairobi to Naivasha. The 120-kilometre stretch was delayed for nearly a year due to a dispute over compensation to affected landowners.
Engineers from the contractor, China Communication Construction Company, have embarked on a month-long safety testing along the new railway. The testing aims to check the track, communication, and signaling system while adjusting defects ahead of commissioning.
According to Fredrick Andera, a technician from the company, the process will continue to ensure the railway's system meets the requisite safety standards. "In this highly specialised system, tracks, trains, signaling, and communications are integrated into a safe operating unit that feeds information about track use and activity to the Centralised Traffic Control," he said.
Addressing the press after visiting the Mai Mahiu station in Naivasha, Andera explained that the system is used by train dispatchers responsible for the overall command of the operation, ensuring that trains are routed safely and in a seamless sequence.
"Safety management by dispatchers is a symbolic factor that sets rail transport apart from other modes of transport," Andera added.
Priority will be given to passenger trains in keeping with international best practices, according to Oscar Khagabo, an engineer from the company.
