The first batch of the freight locomotives for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) arrived in the country this week ready for the line testing process later on in this first quarter. The locomotives were received by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure, Housing, and Urban Development, Mr James Macharia, at a ceremony held at Mombasa’s Port Reitz Station, which is the starting point for the SGR’s Mombasa-Nairobi line.
“Thanks to the efforts of the Kenyan railway builders and Government agencies involved in this landmark project, the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR has registered a remarkable construction speed and we expect completion of the entire project soon, and within our contract terms. The delivery of this first batch of freight locomotives is a major milestone on this journey,” said Mr James Macharia, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development at the mid-morning ceremony.
Six locomotives docked at the port, four of which are freight locomotives of the model DF8B diesel locomotive. This is the main traction locomotive model of the Chinese railway system, with locomotive power of 3100KW and a maximum speed of 100 km/h. Once the SGR is operational, this locomotive will be the main force serving freight transportation needs on the entire railway. Also expected are 2 DF7G shunting locomotives with 1550KW power, which together with the freight locomotives, will be used for marshalling and dispatching locomotives and rolling stock within stations.
There will be a total of 56 locomotives manufactured by CRRC Corporation in operation on the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR route. The entire fleet is expected to be in the country by mid-year and will arrive in four batches. The fleet, when complete, will consist of three models: passenger, freight and shunting locomotives. There will be five DF11 passenger locomotives, 43 DF8B freight locomotives and eight DF7G locomotives. The three are mature, reliable and come with proprietary intellectual property rights, used in large quantities, own a high market share and exhibit excellent performance.
Kenya Railways Managing Director Atanas Maina commended the contractors and the various consultants working on the project for the timely delivery of the locomotives as well as the completion of the 472 KM line.
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According to the CRBC, the three locomotive models have been customized for Kenya’s tropical savannah climate, operational environment and future maintenance requirements, based on the results of field investigations carried out by Kenya Railways, CRBC and the locomotive manufacturer CRRC Corporation along the SGR line.
The next critical segment of the project, added Mr. LiQiang, involves the construction of high-quality stations, signalling,
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