Construction work on Nairobi Railway City to start in two months
Work on Nairobi’s futuristic railway city is expected to begin in two months, according to Kenyan industry sources. The final design for Nairobi’s new Central Railway Station, which lies at the heart of the 171ha site, was unveiled recently by Kenyan and UK government representatives.
The new design, which was completed by UK-based engineering and project management consultancy Atkins UK, is a key part of the Nairobi Railway City redevelopment programme in which the city’s central business district will be redeveloped as a residential, commercial and multi-modal hub over the next 20 years.
The project will involve the construction of eight new railway lines for passenger services with a further four planned lines for freight traffic. Commuter trains will interact with three bus rapid transit (BRT) systems as well as with established city bus routes, airport limousine services and non-motorised transport such as bicycles.
Planned facilities include residential buildings, plazas, pedestrian walkways, cycle routes and government offices. The project was an important flagship project for the city and the region, said Atkins design director Chris Crombie.
“The design and vision we have created … is a real case study example of how to create transit-orientated development with climate adaptation built-in,” he said.
The project would also help the government deliver on its promise to create jobs, he added. Dubbed the Railway City Masterplan, the project has the backing of Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta who first approached UK prime minister Boris Johnson at the Africa Investment Summit 2020 for help securing financial support for the plan.
The new design was unveiled this week by the UK Prime Minister’s G7 Sherpa Jonathan Black and Principal Secretary Transport, Dr Eng. Joseph Njoroge.
“Great cities like Nairobi will need to become more climate-resilient, but also more climate-friendly – less carbon-intensive to build, to travel around, and to live in,” said Black.
The government confirmed that it was negotiating for up to Sh220 billion (GBP1.5 billion) in UK Export Finance (UKEF) for Kenyan projects, with the new central station likely to be the first to benefit.
The railway infrastructure is expected to soak up Sh17.6 billion (GBP123 million) of the loans. The first phase contains the Central Railway Station as well as a business complex with two 5,000-square-metre buildings.
UKEF, the UK’s export credit agency, provides loans, guarantees and insurance to help UK companies sell goods and services overseas by protecting against the risk of non-payment.
All projects are subject to stringent diligence and analyses of debt sustainability before they are approved.
