Jubilee Development Flagship Project - SGR Madaraka Express Phase 2A Nairobi-Naivasha-Narok

News & Politics
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4.5km Ngong rail tunnel to be ready in August
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2018 9:41
BY BONFACE OTIENO
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A completed section of the Ngong tunnel from the locomotive entry side. COURTESY PHOTO

Works on Kenya’s first and longest railway tunnel at Em-Bulbul in Kajiado County will be completed in August, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) has said.

The tunnel is on the 120-kilometre Nairobi-Naivasha route of the standard gauge railway (SGR). The company’s spokesperson Steve Zhao said engineers were working round the clock to ensure that the section is completed in the next five months.

“So far 1.2km is complete from the exit end, 0.8km from the entry side of the tunnel and 0.5km from the mid-section. The construction is taking place simultaneously to ensure that we complete all the work within the stipulated time,” said Mr Zhao in a statement Wednesday.

The Em-Bulbul SGR tunnel in Kajiado County covers 4.5km and is the first of the three sections of the 7.14km SGR tunnel, the contractor says is the second longest railway tunnel in Africa.

Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Nairobi-Naivasha line.

A construction worker walks past a frame used to hold a tunnel in the ongoing construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Nairobi-Naivasha line.
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FILE PHOTO |NMG
The other two sections of the tunnel cover 1km and 1.64km.

These will be constructed along the Naivasha-Nairobi standard route at a total cost of Sh150 billion funded by the Exim Bank of China. The construction of the line to Naivasha is expected to be completed within 2019, the company said.

Single-track line

The Ngong tunnel has been designed as a single-track railway tunnel with a clearance height of 7.6 metres and a width of 6.4 metres constructed using the three-bench seven-step excavation method. Benching is the creation of a series of steps in the vertical wall of an excavation to reduce the wall height and ensure stability during construction. The rocks are blasted to create the tunnel’s arch shape. The construction of the Naivasha line started in January with the production of parts like T-beams and sleepers.

Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Nairobi-Naivasha tunnel

The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Nairobi-Naivasha tunnel which begins from Embulbul in Ngong Town.
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FILE PHOTO | NMG
After the completion of the Nairobi-Naivasha line, it is expected that the line to Kisumu will be built at a cost of Sh350 billion.

The Mombasa-Nairobi SGR line was built at a cost of Sh327 billion.

Although the passenger services have picked up since launch in May last year, the government is firing on all cylinders to win the hearts of importers to get the right volumes on the rails to the Nairobi container depot. So far in only 3 months since the launch of freight services, its transporting 350 TEUs a day from the targeted 1200 TEUs a day to make the project viable.

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alafu floods zikikam kwa hio tunnel? is it tremor/earthquake proof?

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Completely its not just a hole in the ground. It has its own drainage systems and fully reinforced. Its not just drilled anywhere but on a place that flooding has never been experienced. That said design features covers the unexpected.

Rongai Passenger stations.
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The actual construction site
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Mombasa to nairobi cost was 300b and maybe is 400-500km apart.

Nairobi to naivasha cost 150 billion and is 91km . Blame it on land compensation and dollar exchange rate but there is a rip off .meanwhile let your grand children know they will pay that money

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By BUSINESS DAILY
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The Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) has extended promotional freight charges on the standard gauge rail by three months as the the country continues to woo shippers into embracing the multi-billion investment.
The promotional tariff which has been extended to June 30, will see SGR freighters pay a flat fee of Ksh35,000 ($347) for a 20-foot container and Ksh40,000 9 ($396) for a 40-foot from Mombasa to the Embakasi Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Nairobi.
“Madaraka Express freight service customers will continue enjoying the promotional tariff that was introduced in January 5, 2018. The tariff’s expiry period has been extended from April 4, 2018 to June 30, 2018,” the agency said in a public notice on Wednesday.
The move comes amid a wave of discontent across the shipping fraternity as clearing agents cite inefficiency at the Nairobi ICD which has also been blamed by container freight stations for loss of business.
The KRC, however, said it will continue to charge Ksh25,000 ($248) to transport a 20-foot container and Ksh30,000 ($297) for a 40-foot container from ICD to Mombasa.
The flat charges which were supposed to end on April 4 include cost of handling cargo and returning of empty containers.

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Yes, the CFS cartel broke this week. They offered to support the SGR fully if KPA will allow them to pick containers from Kilindini, take it to their facilities to clear it and return it to SGR Port Reitz cargo hub only a few hundred meters from Kilindini which they picked the goods from. I’m still laughing. Yaani all that to move it in a straight line. Whatever they have been doing ends now. Its either a lot of smuggling or illegally trade. Soon all goods will be cleared at Kilindini and Nairobi ICD to end that games going on.
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Works on Kenya’s first and longest railway tunnel. The first kweli?

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No its not, you are right. I remember the limuru tunnel for lunatic express.
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Yes, and apparently it was excavated by women laborers. A first indeed.

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unakuwanga naive sana,sgr is a good idea and also forwarding containers to icd is also a good idea too,what is setting back the agent ni demurrage cost accrued due to sgr delay and no clear well thought rule on offloading of the empty container.

Inshort if your client requires the goods as soon as the container arrives at mombasa port ,sgr will be a bad idea because the time taken to clear at cfs and return empty to container yard will be equal to the time taken for the container to be transported by sgr

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CMA-CGM has joined other large corporate transport logistical firms in using SGR exclusively to transport cargo. That’s a few 100 containers a day signed up.

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Naivasha Kisumu will cost 80 billion. hio 350 wametoa wapi

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Yes its 350 billion. Kisumu lake port alone is 15 billion. Its bigger than the airport. The terrain from Narok covers the hilly regions of Bomet, Kericho and Kisii. A lot of bridges and pillars will be built. That said its still cheaper than the Nakuru-Eldoret route through RV escarpment which would mean very long tunnels. Even phase 2A Nairobi-Naivasha-Narok cost was high because of the expensive 7.5km tunnels and the super deep, tall and covered bridge over Nairobi National Park.

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that’s the cost from Nairobi to Malaba. this thing passes through my farm somewhere

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Good job jubilee

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Mi nangoja tu waweke tarmac to the roads in kibiko and kimuka then I cash on my plots