Kenya’s President, Uhuru Kenyatta, announced that the rail line connecting Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and the Central Business District should be completed in two years. The announcement was made during an official visit of the French President, Emmanuel Macron, at Nairobi Central Railway Station.
The commuter rail project will be implemented in partnership with a French Consortium. The Nairobi Airport Line will facilitate the travel between the city centre and JKIA, East and Central Africa’s biggest airport and transport hub. “Officials should fast track agreements so that the project is completed within the next two years,” Kenyatta said.
“The French Consortium will play its part in providing a mobility solution for Nairobi,” Macron said. During the official visit, the two countries will sign deals worth EUR 3 billion.
Besides the link between the city and the airport, the government has already embarked on a refurbishment of the whole commuter rail system in the city. As part of this commuter railway improvement, the Government has approved USD 100 million (KES 10 billion) for the rehabilitation of four existing lines with the heaviest passenger-carrying potential. Under the project, the railway line connecting Nairobi Central Station with Ruiru, Embakasi Village, Kikuyu and Kitengela will be modernized. The investment also provides for the acquisition of refurbished DMUs, the rehabilitation of the meter gauge railway network and the development of new stations as well as the building a public transport network that straddles from Ruiru to Athi River.
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