This archive report was first published on 27 November 2019.
On November 27, 2019, the County Development Implementation Coordination Committee (CDICC) toured Kahawa Commuter Rail Station, one of the ten railway stations that the Government has rehabilitated to ease transport between Ruiru and Athi-River towns towards the city centre.
The government's program aims to improve the 10 busiest commuter railway stations, including Kikuyu, Kahawa, Ruiru, Githurai, Dandora, Mwiki, Donholm, Pipeline, Embakassi, and Athi River. The remaining two stations, Donholm and Athi River, are expected to be complete by March 2020.
Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development Director of Administration Mabeya Mogaka stated that the move is aimed at easing congestion in Nairobi by making railway commuter transport enjoyable and a choice for many people in Nairobi.
"Kenya Railways is working with Safaricom to enable seamless connectivity with the soon-to-be-launched Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, where one can pay for a ticket and use it in the train and connect with the BRT to their final destination and vice versa," Mogaka explained.
Speaking at Kahawa commuter train station, Mogaka emphasized the importance of tight security, allowing people to park their vehicles and board the train into Nairobi, only to find their vehicles safe upon return.
"We want a situation where people coming from the Central Kenya region can park their vehicle at the Ruiru station and board a train, people from Mombasa and Eastern region like Machakos can park at Athi River and come into town with a train," he said.
A director at the Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU), Kinoti Gatobu, added that plans are underway to improve the railway lines to make them smooth, as some are very bumpy. The stations have been modernized and will feature automatic ticketing, CCTV camera monitoring, server rooms, and security screening areas.
