Rift Valley Railway
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Transcript of Rift Valley Railway
48 | Endeavour Magazine Endeavour Magazine | 49
WRITTEN BY CHARLES ROBERTS
RIFT VALLEY RAILWAY
00254 20 2044476/80
WWW.RIFTVALLEYRAIL.COM
After receiving funding from development finance institutions, Rift Valley Railways’ renovation program is well underway.
REVIVING THE RAILWAYS IN Kenya & Uganda
50 | Endeavour Magazine Endeavour Magazine | 51
Quote
The company says: “We ensure that our customers’ needs for
transport and logistical solutions will be met in a sustainably
efficient and safe manner and with the utmost with respect
to our employees, the environment and communities that live around
our operations, and that we will do so profitably to guarantee a healthy
return on investment for our shareholders.”
RVR provides intermodal
logistical solutions, long-
distance and commuter
passenger transport as well as
freight delivery, which includes
marine services. Its strategic
objectives are to improve
business efficiency, standardise
operations, increase its rail
traffic market share and
strengthen the northern
corridors’ competitiveness.
Freight services and passenger travelAccounting for 95 per cent of all volume and revenue, freight
transportation is RVR’s major concern. The organisation’s main
customers include logistics service providers, cargo owners and
shipping companies. With purpose-designed cars, flat wagons and
storage tanks, RVR is able to handle specialised freight, bulk materials,
fuel and lubricants as well as intermodal containers.
Railway Equipment | Building Material | Construction Equipment
|Lifting Equipment | Car Accessories | Adhesives & Sealants | Agriculture Tools & Equipment | Masonary Tools | Relief Supplies | Fabrication Work Safety Work Wear
And PPE | Engineering Tools | General Hardware
DAR-ES-SALAAM ROAD P.O.BOX 18233-00500, NAIROBI, KENYA
T: 00-254-20-6531392/3/4F: 00-254-20-6531396
E: [email protected] & [email protected]: www.uesl.net
Endeavour Magazine | 51
Over the past few years, RVR has strived to improve this lucrative
area of the business, increasing consignments to over 250,000 tonnes
in 2012. “RVR Freight Services is your flexible partner for overland
transport by rail,” boasts the enterprise. “We run freight trains or
goods trains on a regular schedule to various destinations in Kenya
and Uganda.”
Although passenger travel is only a minor aspect of the business
in terms of numbers, RVR is committed to providing the best possible
service to all travellers.
Daily routes are in operation between Kenya’s main cities
while several commuter trains run in the Greater Nairobi area,
with approximately 500,000 people taking advantage of these
transportation services per month.
Kenya-Uganda RailwayRecognised as one of the region’s oldest assets that brings
communities together and encourages business, this railway line runs
from the shores of the Indian Ocean, through Kenya’s rich agricultural
RIFT VALLEY RAILWAY
Founded in 2006, Rift Valley Railways (RVR) is an operator of freight and passenger train services in Kenya and Uganda. With a 25-year commission that covers more than 2,000 kilometres of track, RVR’s purpose is to “transform lives in Africa with every move.”
“Once the planned rehabilitation is completed, it will be possible to raise line speeds on the re-laid sections from the current restriction of between 25kmh and 30kmh to 70kmh.”
52 | Endeavour Magazine Endeavour Magazine | 53
Renovation programIn August 2011, RVR received a financial package to fund part of a
US$287 million five-year capital expenditure program to rehabilitate
infrastructure and rolling stock. The project aimed to tackle the
problem of derailments by replacing worn out track, refurbish
old locomotives and integrate information technology systems to
improve operations and reduce costs.
“Once the planned rehabilitation exercise is completed, it will be
possible to raise line speeds on the re-laid sections from the current
restriction of between 25kmh and 30kmh to 70kmh,” RVR revealed.
“This will significantly improve the reliability and efficiency of the
railway operations and it will enable RVR to operate bigger capacity
trains, thereby, improving the companies loading capacity and
reducing travel hours for trains.”
By the end of 2012, more than US$100 million had been invested
in the turnaround program, with RVR proud to announce that half of
the dilapidated track had been repaired, over 350 wagons had been
refurbished and a new ERP system had been installed.
Recent developmentsLate last year, Kenya’s president Mwai Kibaki opened an extension
RVR, said that following the
installation of five level crossings,
trial runs would begin on 31
July. The route will increase the
amount of cargo entering Kenya
from the Democratic Republic of
Congo and South Sudan.
Future plansLooking ahead, RVR’s
vision is “to be the leading
transport and logistics solutions
provider in Africa by year
2020.” Once the Kenya-Uganda
railway rejuvenation project is
complete, the company hopes
the numerous upgrades will
translate into “the provision of
quality and reliable services to
RVR’s customers.
“Overtime, the improved
rail service should play a critical
role in bringing down the cost of
goods and services in the region.”
In the near future, RVR
plans to increase the life cycle
of its locomotives by changing
engines, traction motors and
compressors, install automated
track warrant software and on-
board computer systems, and
continue to rehabilitate lines,
wagons and culverts.
of the Nairobi - Embakasi line to
Syokimau, the first new station to
be established in the country for
80 years. Both RVR and Kenya
Railways completed the track
work, while El Noor Construction
built the station.
In June 2013, RVR said
a renovation project on its
northern Uganda branch from
Tororo, near the Kenyan border,
to Pakwach on Lake Albert’s
northern shore, was near
completion and test operations
would begin shortly. With the
line out of operation for 18 years,
work included the removal of
anthills, restoration of washed-
out sections damaged by floods
and new culverts installation.
Darlan De David, CEO,
RIFT VALLEY RAILWAY
RTI Turbo Inc
landscape, into the Ugandan
capital Kampala on the edge of
Lake Victoria.
With road transport prices in
East Africa escalating, RVR and
the government recognises the
potential a comprehensive and
reliable rail network has for local
people, tourists and indeed the
economy.
“We see RVR as an important
partner in the economic growth
of our country and the region
where a well performing railway
is an imperative as it is an
important link from the port of
Mombasa into the Eastern Africa
Market,” says Dr Eng. Cyrus
Njiru, permanent secretary at
the Ministry of Transport.