Kenya Railways, together with the World Bank and Systra will analise the potential of BEMU on Nairobi rail commuter network as well as on the rail system in Thika, a city situated 42 km northeast of Nairobi.
During a meeting held on May 27, 2024, at Kenya Railways headquarters, Systra Group presented a viability assessment for the electric battery option for commuter rail trains. On this, Systra touched on various factors including battery charging requirements, the theoretical capacity of the existing line between Nairobi commuter rail and Thika.
During the meeting, Kenya Railways Managing Director, Phillip Mainga, urged the World bank representatives to take into serious consideration the implementation time of the programme. The Managing Director called for bank’s support and collaboration in order to achieve electric mobility and consider the Thika–Nanyuki line which is the longest.
The World Bank team said that they would support Kenya Railways in its efforts to improve the scalability and bankability of electric mobility solutions to meet the increasing demand for passenger transport while reducing the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions. The World Bank executives mentioned that the programme will be completed in August 2024.
The 177.2 km Thika – Nanyuki railway line with 16 stations is part of the meter gauge railway system in Kenya and crosses six communities, including Nairobi, Kiambu, Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Nyeri and Laikipia counties.
According to Kenya Railways, if results of the progrmme are positive, the project to implement BEMU on Nairobi rail commuter system including Thika will replace the existing diesel trains rechargeable batteries and utilising the batteries for traction power on non-electrified lines.
Upon completion, Kenya will be the first country in Africa to adopt the electric battery option hence a major milestone for Kenya Railways.
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