Matatu operators are a scared lot as Badi’s DMU trains begin rolling this month

Anxiety has gripped the residents of Nairobi as the government prepares to roll out an ambitious public transport system aimed at bringing back order in the capital while improving the commuting experience.

The Commuter Rail Project, a collaboration of the Kenya Railways Service and the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), which is planned for launch this week by President Uhuru Kenyatta, has been hailed as a game changer.

To get to town, commuters will have the option of using trains known as Diesel Mobile Units (DMUs) that can carry up to 300 passengers to the Nairobi railway station. They will then use the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) for the last mile into the central business district. A DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines whose locomotives are conjoined.

The project, which will use an initial 11 DMUs imported from Spain, is the first in a series that is expected to culminate in the creation of a railway city and five BRT corridors, which will allow seamless mass transport beginning June next year.

Chinese firm Stecol Corporation has already started mobilising its equipment in preparation to start construction of special lanes for the Thika Road BRT. Also known as Line Two, the corridor, which will be the first to be launched in August next year, will cost taxpayers Sh5.6 billion.

The Nairobi Expressway, which will run from Mlolongo all the way to the James Gichuru junction in Westlands and whose construction is ongoing, will also have special BRT lines. The government is still looking for funding for the remaining BRT lines on the plan.

Once all the projects under the plan are complete, Nairobi will have an integrated commuter system comprising a BRT, a monorail and an underground rail system. They will all converge at the Railway City, a multimodal, transit-oriented, urban development covering 200 acres around the current Nairobi Railway Station.

“The strategic location of the Nairobi Station positions it perfectly to be an iconic nerve centre for the Nairobi multimodal transport system with a new worldclass central station incorporating mixed-use commercial developments, hotels and intermodal facilities,” says Kenya Railways about the city. “The Nairobi Railway City will bring into play a fresh alternative with regard to office, commercial, residential space, thus reducing pressure on general prices of such premises within the CBD.”

The NMS and Kenya Railways have been posting teasers on their social media pages the whole week on what Nairobians should expect ahead of the launch.

“Efficient, affordable worldclass transport options on the way. Park and ride the train. Forget traffic during rush hour,” NMS said in one of its tweets meant to publicise the new service.

“Rome was not built in a day. The important thing is we have taken a step in the right direction, but we have a long way to go. A lot more resources will be required to get to optimal services, the first step is the hardest but we have to take it,” tweeted Housing and Urban Development Principal Secretary Charles Hinga.

The DMU train schedules are yet to be released but it is expected they will serve the current four railway routes: Kikuyu, Ruiru, Embakasi and Syokimau. The new trains will run on a higher frequency and will serve more stations than the current ones, which only operate in the morning and evening.

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