London, March 8, 2021 (AltAfrica)-The Nairobi Commuter Rail service is set for a boost with the planned addition of extra trains by the end of this month.

Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) expects the additional commuter trains – referred to as diesel multiple units (DMUs) – to enable it to increase the frequency of trains plying the different routes across the city.

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The corporation had acquired 11 DMUs from Majorca State in Spain at a cost of Sh1.15 billion and received an initial five, which started operations last November.

The remaining units are expected to be delivered before April. The units, while faster and more efficient than the age-old locomotives, are not new but refurbished.

They were previously used by the regional government of Majorca which has started greening its public transport through the electrification of buses and trains.

KRC Chairman Umudho Awitta said the corporation will be expecting the DMUs this month and they are expected to improve the commuter service. “We have been revitalising the commuter lines in Nairobi. This started with the modification of the old coaches to increase the capacity by including space for standing passengers. This however turned out not to be very efficient because of the age of the locomotives,” he said.

“It is because of this that we opted for the DMUs. We ordered 11 from Majorca, Spain. Five of these were delivered towards the end of last year. The remaining six will be arriving in the country by the end of this month or early April.”

The city’s commuter rail service is part of the larger plan to improve connectivity within the Nairobi metropolitan areas through modernising and expanding the underutilised railway transport infrastructure facilities.

Source