5th Anniversary of safe operation of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway: "A Successful Project that Changed the Fate of the Kenyan Nation"
Railways have played an important role in kenya's history, both then and now.
Five years ago, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, built by a Chinese company, was completed and opened to traffic. In the past five years, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has been like a "major artery", accelerating the pace of Modernization in Kenya and leaving a strong mark for east Africa regional connectivity and win-win cooperation between China and Africa.
"Friends, please listen to me, the story of the railway is long and long. It condenses friendship, and it brings hope. My hometown is more beautiful every day; My compatriots, day by day, are more exalted..." A few years ago, the vision of railway development sung by Kenyan singer Sudi's song "Song of Monei - Railway Repaired to My Hometown" is becoming a reality.
Accelerate Kenya's economic revitalization
On May 31, 2017, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, built by China Road and Bridge Engineering Co., Ltd., was completed and opened to traffic. It connects Mombasa, the largest port in East Africa, with a total length of about 480 kilometers, using Chinese standards, Chinese technology and Chinese equipment, and is the first railway built since Kenya's independence and the largest infrastructure project since Kenya's independence. As a model project of China-Africa cooperation, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has achieved good social and economic benefits.
At the opening ceremony of the International Flower Trade Show in Nairobi on May 30 this year, Clement, CEO of the Kenya Flower Council, announced that flowers will be exported via the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway from the end of this year. Clement said that compared with road or air transport, rail transport has lower carbon emissions and has the comprehensive advantages of transportation cost and convenience.
As early as January this year, tea exports, an important source of foreign exchange earnings for Kenya, began to shift to the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway. Exporters praised the special column opened by the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway for tea exports, which provides a high-quality, safe, efficient and fast mode of transportation.
Transportation is the link between the economic context and civilization. The choice of merchants truly shows the boost of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway to kenya's economy, and also highlights the unique role played by the concept of transportation first to promote the economic and social development of developing countries.
5th Anniversary of safe operation of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway: "A Successful Project that Changed the Fate of the Kenyan Nation"
Passengers lined up to board the train at Ngong Station of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway in Kenya on 25 March 2022. (Photo by Long Lei)
"Connect the country and move toward prosperity" – the slogan on the Train of Mombasa-Nairobi is becoming a reality. In the past five years, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has transported a total of 1.773 million TEUs of containers, and currently runs an average of 16 freight trains per day, which has promoted Kenya's own economic and trade exchanges with other East African countries.
Edward, head of a logistics company in Nairobi, said that today, it takes only 8 hours to transport through the Mombasa-Nairobi railway, which used to take 3 days.
The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway not only eased congestion at the Port of Mombasa, but also reduced manufacturer operating costs and improved supply chain efficiency.
Ernest, head of a grain logistics company, said that transporting grain by The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway can achieve zero logistics losses and help customers save 25% of costs.
James Saleh, head of Kenya Railways' business operations expert team, said the Mombasa-Nairobi Railways increased the volume of bulk cargo traffic and the manufacturer's operating costs fell as a result. One Mombasa-Nairobi railway freight train is equivalent to the volume of 110 trucks in the past.
"The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway is a successful, future-oriented project that can change the fate of the country." Philip Ma'enga, general manager of the Kenya Railway Company, said in an exclusive interview with the "Reference News" reporter a few days ago that the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway is an important part of kenya's economy and has played a very important role in promoting national economic growth.
Mai enga estimates that the Contribution rate of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway to Kenya's GDP is between 2% and 3%. "The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has increased efficiency, created jobs and taken Kenya's manufacturing and industry to new heights. This is the key role played by the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, which benefits manufacturers, logistics companies and related practitioners. ”
Powering East Africa Connectivity
On 17 December 2019, the first Nairobi-Malabar Gauge Rail (NEMA) freight train entered the Naivasha Inland Container Port in Kenya. The Neima Railway Project is an extension of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway to northwestern Kenya.
Kenyan Transport and Infrastructure Minister James Macharia said: "The Naivasha Industrial Park has been officially launched and we are looking forward to it, with the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway carrying a large number of goods all the way from Naivasha all the way to Malaba and exporting more to neighbouring countries such as Uganda and Rwanda. ”
According to Li Jiuping, general manager of the African Star Railway Operation Company, which is responsible for the operation of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway and Kenya's existing century-old meter-gauge railway have been connected a few days ago, and freight can be smoothly reloaded, so that kenya's standard rail railway and meter-gauge railway have formed a railway network, and goods can be directly connected from Mombasa to the Ugandan border, forming a complete logistics system.
Edward said the Mombasa-Nairobi-Naivasha gauge rail link has reinvigorated regional supply chains by reducing transport times and the cost of transporting bulk goods to neighbouring landlocked countries.
Mai enga said that the railway has become the lifeline of the multi-country economy in East Africa, which is helping the East African region to connect and promote the process of regional integration.
Ugandan President Museveni has commented that the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has ushered in a new era of relations between Kenya, Uganda and the East African region.
A zebra grazes near a moving train in Tsavo, Kenya, on July 28, 2022. (Photo by Dong Jianghui)
On holidays, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway is the preferred means of transportation for people in the capital to and from the seaside resort city of Mombasa, and tickets are very popular. According to Kenya's National Bureau of Statistics, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passenger train will carry 2 million passengers in 2021.
Farahana Mgoi, who is engaged in insurance sales, has traveled more than 70 times between Nairobi and Voi on the Mombasa-Nairobi railway train. She told reporters that it used to take at least 7 hours by bus from Nairobi to Voi, but now it only takes about 4 hours by train, and there is no need to worry about traffic jams.
Ma'enga said the Mombasa-Nairobi railway is Kenya's most efficient and reliable infrastructure. In the past five years, it has sent 8 million passengers, and now runs an average of 6 buses a day, transporting 7,000 to 10,000 passengers per day. More and more people are choosing to take the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway because it is safe, punctual and comfortable.
Li Jiuping said that the average occupancy rate of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway was basically maintained at 90%, and the maximum number of passengers sent in a single day exceeded 10,000, and the punctuality rate reached 98.9%.
"The first tranche of the contract between African Star and the owner, Kenya Railways, expires on May 31, and African Star and Kenya Railways have completed the renewal of the contract, and African Star will continue to manage the operation of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway." Li Jiuping said: "We will take the travel of the Kenyan people and the rapid delivery of goods as the core embodiment of our ability to fulfill the contract, and strive to provide quality services for the owners, harmonize the relationship between the two sides and ensure a win-win situation." ”
Cultivating "Teams That Can't Be Taken Away"
In the past five years, the tangible benefits brought by the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway to East African countries in terms of talent training and technology transfer have been obvious to all.
Tabitha Kiplimo was a former train driver for the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, and was promoted to a management position because of her outstanding performance. She said with emotion that she never expected to one day work and promote in a male-dominated field, thanking the Chinese side for cultivating her.
The African Star Railway Operations Company has always focused on localization technology transfer, training a group of railway professionals and managers who can operate independently.
On February 23 this year, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway launched the first passenger train independently carried by the Kenyan locomotive crew, marking a new level for Chinese enterprises to promote the localization of Kenya locomotive crews.
Industry insiders praised China for cultivating a "team that can't be taken away" for Kenya, which has effectively enhanced the country's soft power.
On February 19, 2022, the members of the first kenyan locomotive independent team of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway took a group photo in Nairobi, Kenya. (Xinhua News Agency)
Ilastas Mwencha, former vice-chairman of the African Union Commission, said that the Mombasa-Nairobi railway has brought revolutionary changes to Kenya and made a huge economic contribution, benefiting a large number of Kenyan youth.
Mai Enga said that the Chinese side is committed to teaching technology to The Kenyan side, and the localization rate of most of the work is more than 80%. "Thanks to technology empowerment, Kenyan employees are now able to drive, operate, repair and maintain, ensuring the smooth operation of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway."
Li Jiuping said that the African Star Railway Operation Company promoted the implementation of Chinese railway standards in Kenya, and through the training methods of "one person, one policy" for Kenyan employees, such as "one person, one policy" for professional positions, leaving the local area not only a modern railway, but also providing technology and capabilities that can independently develop railway transportation.
As of May 31, the company has 1640 Employees in Kenya, including 303 station (workshop) shift leaders and above managers, 11 assistant train dispatchers, 168 train drivers (co-drivers), 26 independent teams for industrial and electrical, transportation and locomotives, and all the trains on the Inner Horse Line of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway are independently driven by Kenyan drivers. At present, in addition to the train dispatcher, the station attendant of the two major stations, and the main railway work of signal system maintenance, other types of work have basically realized the independent operation of Kenfang at the level of Railway operation in Mombasa-Nairobi.
"For more than five years, we have established a complete set of technical regulations and management systems." Li Jiuping said that we have drawn on China's perfect railway technical standards and management systems, combined with the actual conditions of railway operations in Mombasa-Nairobi, and formulated 99 technical regulations, 55 safety management systems and emergency plans. These are all issued after review by the owner unit Kenya Railways, forming a set of technical management rules and regulations that are jointly observed by the pertinent employees.
Mainga said Kenya is working towards a national development vision 2030, with greater emphasis on infrastructure development and commitment to the country's industrialization and modernization development goals, and the Mombasa-Nairobi railway is a "key driving force" to achieve this vision.
Source: Reference News Network
Kenya
Chinese-built modern railway plays key role in promoting Kenya's economic growth, says official
Chinese-built modern railway plays key role in promoting Kenya's economic growth, says official-
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