JKIA Railway Link: Kenya has secured a fresh loan of Sh. 14 billion from France for the construction of a railway track that will link the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport with the Nairobi city centre.
This has been revealed by the cabinet secretary for transport James Macharia. According to Macharia, a commercial agreement to construct railway line have been closed. Macharia said that now construction for the five kilometre track will kick off in March 2021.
“The French government has committed to finance the construction of a new rail link passing over Mombasa Road from Syokimau standard gauge rail terminus into JKIA to the tune of Sh. 14 billion,” Macharia told a local business newspaper. He added that the cost will also include upgrading the existing meter gauge line from the Nairobi Central Station to Syokimau train terminus.
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The JKIA-Nairobi city centre railway line is planned to decongest the capital city and reduce the time travelers take between the central business district and the JKIA which handles at least 11.7 million domestic and international users.
Earlier in the week, Macharia said that another railway line would constructed to link Syokimau Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) terminus to JKIA. “We have another project that will connect the Syokimau Station to the airport. Both Kenya and the French government had agreed on the funding and shall be implemented soon,” he said. JKIA Railway Link.