China’s CRRC Qishuyan, a leading locomotive manufacturer, has announced the delivery of a second batch of two diesel locomotives to Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) for its meter gauge network.
The delivery is in line with the execution of a contract signed in March 2021 between the two companies. It involved the supply of 16 locomotives. The new locomotives are to join “the first two which are currently operating on the Nairobi Kisumu and Nanyuki lines, having undergone successful technical trials”.
The purchase of these Chinese locomotives is part of “the dynamics of the Kenyan government”. It aims to develop rail transport in order to “reduce the pressure on the country’s roads caused by congestion in the ports (particularly in Mombasa) and the continuous progression of road traffic”.
In addition to the 480 km SGR network built with Chinese loans, the country is also actively renewing a large part of the national rail network.
