Holding capacity for Nairobi’s Inland Container Depot is set to be increased from 180,000 to 450,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUS) by May 1, the transport ministry has announced.

Transport Secretary James Macharia said the adjustment will start upon completion of the ongoing construction.

So far, the Kenya Ports Authority has acquired and installed 12 high-capacity cranes that can handle four export and four import Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) cargo trains daily. Each train has a total tonnage capacity of 4,000.

“Efficiency at the Nairobi ICD facility will reduce freight charges which will lower prices of basic commodities for the mwananchi,” he said.

Mr Macharia said the facility with a capacity to handle 450,000 Twenty Foot Equivalent Units (containers) will provide one-stop shop services for exporters and importers thereby easing costs incurred for goods transported to Mombasa by road and those from Mombasa which usually takes an average of three days.

But with the new high speed Standard Gauge Railway facility, a cargo locomotive moving at 80 kilometres per hour will take an average of eight hours, equivalent to 216 trucks that take three days to cover the 472 kilometre journey.

In an interview, Kenya Railways Chief Executive Atanas Maina said the ICD would operate on a 24hour basis with the facility run on a modern information technology platform where importers and exporters will seamlessly clear cargo.