China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is all set to bag another Sh 2.5 billion contract to spruce up the Nairobi commuter railway network. The assignment will include the modernization of railway stations and ballasting of the rail network in the first phase of the track rehabilitation. Currently, the rail network is so dilapidated that the average speed on some sections is as low as 15 kilometers per hour due to broken rails, unstable tracks etc. Kenyan Government proposes to source second-hand diesel locomotives t from Spain to be deployed on the Nairobi commuter rail network.
The firm had earlier done the multi-billion-Shilling Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). Transport Secretary James Macharia has sought Cabinet approval for the hiring of CRBC without going through the route of competitive bidding, citing lack of local firms’ capacity to undertake such projects. The track repair project is part of the Sh10 billion fund dedicated to easing Nairobi’s traffic congestion through rehabilitation of the commuter rail and introduction of a bus rapid transit system.
