NAIROBI, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) which runs from Nairobi to the coastal city of Mombasa has boosted local economy, Philip Mainga, managing director of state-owned Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) said on Wednesday.
Philip Mainga said that the 480-km railway has continued to play a positive role on the delivery of both passengers and cargo.
The passenger train was inaugurated in June 2017 with one train per direction between Nairobi and Mombasa but the service has since improved to three trains in both directions.
According to Mainga, from June 2017 up to the end of February, 4,356 passenger trains have moved both directions delivering some 5.2 million passengers and the service has proved popular with on time schedule train arrivals. SGR output has outstripped projections and the freight service that commenced in January 2018 has seen 7,280 trains moved, delivering 726,485 twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs).
He stated that the SGR operations, flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, have continued to offer employment opportunities both directly and indirectly with many qualified locals playing key roles.
He said that given the resilience of and key milestones achieved by the SGR within the last three years, it remains the preferred mode of transport and will continue boosting local economy.
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