Kenya Railway has conducted its first trial train cargo from Mombasa to Malaba on the newly constructed link which connects the Standard Gauge Railway(SGR) and Meter Gauge Railway(MGR) in Naivasha.
According to capitalfm.co.ke, the cargo which was loaded at the Port of Mombasa and transported via SGR was seamlessly transhipped onto the MG line at the Naivasha Inland Container Depot (NICD), and is destined for Malaba.
The SGR/MGR paves way for seamless transportation of cargo to the Great Lakes Region including Uganda, South Sudan, DR Congo, Northern Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi.
The transhipment with a capacity to handle 120,000 TEUs annually, Kenya Railway said, will take 36 hours compared to road transport which takes 96 hours.
Similarly, it said that it will cost USD 860 per TEU compared to the road which costs USD 2032 per TEU.
Speaking during the event, Kenya Railways Managing Director Philip Mainga said that the new railway line will further enhance efficiencies and ease the transhipment process.
“Our clients will now enjoy seamless transportation of cargo from the Port of Mombasa to Malaba and onward to the East African region in a safe, reliable, and cost-effective way,” he said.
Mainga reiterated that the railway line offers a service that is premised on safety, efficiency, and reliability and will be convenient for East African partner states who will not have to cover an entire 572 kilometers by road between Mombasa and Naivasha.
Kenya Railways said that at the Naivasha ICD, local clients will be offered 30 days of free storage with quick cargo processing and transhipment onto wagons.
“We will have regular, speedy, and reliable delivery of cargo through well-organized train schedules with strict timetables for the evacuation of cargo and empty container repatriation from the Inland Container Terminals,” said Mainga.
