Kenya is reportedly in discussions with the UAE’s Etihad Rail over managing the freight operations on its commonplace gauge railway, which connects the port of Mombasa to Naivasha by way of Nairobi.
The $5 billion China-built mission was developed to spur progress and facilitate financial integration throughout Africa.
The federal government is planning to increase the railway community to South Sudan, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, constructing a business case for Etihad Rail to put money into freight operations, transport secretary Davis Chirchir informed Bloomberg.
The UAE rail operator wants an annual quantity of at the least 17 million tonnes to safe a return on funding on a concession deal, he stated.
The talks embody the potential transport of almost 3 million tonnes of crude oil annually from northern Kenyan oil fields utilizing railway wagons, Chirchir stated.
Etihad Rail runs a freight service throughout a 1,200km community within the UAE. The corporate can be working with Hafeet Rail to construct a rail hyperlink between the UAE and Oman.
The corporate will begin its first passenger service subsequent 12 months, connecting 11 cities and areas from Al Sila to Fujairah. The trains will journey at as much as 200km per hour and transport as much as 400 passengers per practice.
