en.Wedoany.com Reported - Kenya Railways plans to extend the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from the Syokimau Station to the Nairobi Central Station, with the new branch line spanning approximately 15 kilometers. The project will lay new tracks along the Meter Gauge Railway (MGR) corridor, add passenger stations along the route, and renovate some existing railway facilities. Earlier this month, the second phase of the Nairobi-Malaba SGR (Nai-Malaba SGR) constructed by China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) officially commenced, marking another significant infrastructure project undertaken by Chinese enterprises in Kenya, following the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR and the first phase of the Nai-Malaba SGR.

The new branch line will be built along the existing MGR corridor, starting from Syokimau Station, passing through areas such as Embakasi, Imara Daima, Eastleigh, and Makadara, before finally connecting to Nairobi Central Station. Passenger stations will be set up only at three locations: Imara Daima, Makadara, and Nairobi City Center. Supporting works include upgrading flood-prone sections of the MGR, constructing a new bridge over the Mukuru River, and rebuilding the Likoni Bridge. The cost of the branch line has not yet been disclosed, but the project has been incorporated into the Nairobi Railway City Master Plan. This plan covers approximately 438 acres, with the core component being the reconstruction of Nairobi Central Station on the south side of the city center, transforming it into a multimodal hub integrating SGR, MGR, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and non-motorized transport, with a total investment of approximately $230 million. Once the branch line is completed, passengers can directly board SGR trains from Nairobi Central Station without needing to transfer elsewhere.

The main external partner for the Nairobi Railway City project is the United Kingdom. Since 2020, the UK government has funded the deployment of urban development expert teams to assist Kenya in completing the master plan review, due diligence, feasibility study, and detailed design of the central station. In 2022, UK Export Finance (UKEF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kenyan Ministry of Finance to provide financing arrangements for the project, with the condition that 30% to 40% of the design and construction costs must be sourced from UK content. The master plan was designed by the UK engineering firm Atkins, drawing inspiration from the redevelopment experience of London's King's Cross Station. The Mombasa-Nairobi SGR is a key infrastructure project under China and Kenya's Belt and Road Initiative cooperation, contracted by CCCC, introducing Chinese railway technical standards and management expertise to Africa. The line spans approximately 480 kilometers, connecting Mombasa and Nairobi, but its terminal station in Nairobi is located some distance from the city center, requiring passengers to make a secondary transfer upon arrival. This branch line project aims to change the SGR service endpoint, extending railway services further into the urban core. Meanwhile, Kenya Railways is also advancing the second phase of the Nai-Malaba Railway, constructed by CCCC, which has now commenced.