KRC must set high goals for train service provider

Syokimau Railway Station. FILE

 

The Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC), for a long time a moribund institution in the eyes of a majority of Kenyans, appears to be headed in the right direction.

On Monday, the corporation opened the Makadara Railway Station, providing a potentially viable travel alternative for residents of the vast Eastlands area of the city.

Today, KRC is set to launch the Imara Daima Railway Station, which in addition to the Syokimau station opened earlier in the year could significantly decongest Mombasa and Jogoo roads, and to an extent the Thika highway.

KRC had set opening of the three stations as key milestones in the larger plan of having a vibrant commuter rail travel in the city.

With the launch now done with, it is time for the railway body to turn its eyes on achieving efficiency and optimal usage of the facility.

It is important to take stock of the experiences recorded within the short time that the Syokimau-Nairobi line has been in operation, build on successes achieved, and learn from failures.

Focus must now turn not just on meeting the bare minimum of objectives, but on growing the number of commuters leaving their cars home and opting for the rail.

KRC must set its goals sky-high, because the hopes millions of Kenyans for a safe, efficient public transport system lies with them.

The railway extension to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport must be done within a reasonable time to ease connection to the all-important regional travel hub.

As former prime minister Raila Odinga observed during Monday’s launch, “traffic chaos, a congested airport, a rising human population and pollution is killing business in Nairobi and we must change urgently.” Already the naysayers are claiming that the commuter rail is an expensive, unviable venture.

Passenger railway transport the world over has never been a highly profitable business. But a chaotic public transport system, such as Nairobi’s, is undoubtedly a painfully expensive alternative.

KRC reportedly pays the Rift Valley Railways, which runs the commuter rail service, Sh51,000 per day in management fees. This translates into about Sh1 million in a 20-day working month, or Sh12 million per annum.

The money does not include costs of buying and maintaining the railway wagons, which is predictably much higher.

But if looked at in relation to the cost that the economy suffers due to an inefficient public transport system, this amount is negligible.

But KRC must set high goals if the dream to make Nairobi a livable city is to be achieved.