Test rides on the standard gauge railway will start next month to ensure optimum performance once full operations begin in June, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure announced yesterday.
Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said the construction works on the SGR are 99 per cent complete, adding the 472-kilometre track and other installations are in place.
“The contractor will add all the facilities after testing for the purposes of operations and maintenance of the trains,” the CS said.
The Kenya Railways Corporation has so far received eight freight haulage heavy-duty locomotives for mainline use out of the expected 43, and two shunting locomotives out of eight ordered for the SGR.

Last week the KRC received 60 wagons in the first batch of 1,620 freight haulage rolling stock. Two more passenger coaches are expected by May.
Macharia spoke when he flagged off trains carrying 35 students, including 15 women, who are going to study in China under a scholarship by the SGR main contractor, China Road and Bridge Corporation and the KRC.
He said the ministry has set aside up to Sh1 billion for the construction of a business school within the Railway Training Institute targeting about 1,000 students who will be taught how to operate the SGR and will help build the second phase of the project.
CRBC general manager Sun Liqiang said they will work with the ministry to sponsor more students.
Source: The Star

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