The Nairobi Commuter Rail (NCR) is a rail network serving
Nairobi
Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
and its suburbs. It has five lines and 22 stations. In the first six months of 2023, the service was used by 7354 passengers daily.
After undergoing modernization, the NCR was inaugurated on 10 November 2020 by then president
Uhuru Kenyatta
Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta ( born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. The son of Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first president, he previously served as Prime Minister of Kenya, Deputy Pri ...
.
On 15 December 2023, president
William Ruto
William Kipchirchir Samoei Arap Ruto (born 21 January 1967) is a Kenyan politician who is the fifth and current president of Kenya since 13 September 2022. Prior to becoming president, he served as the first elected Deputy President of Kenya, ...
launched construction of the new
Riruta–
Ngong line that will run through Riruta, Karen, Bulbul and Ngong stations, to be built by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC). The second phase will extend this line to
Kiserian
Kiserian is a town in Kenya's Rift Valley Province, Kajiado County. Kiserian Town is bordered by Ongata Rongai, Ngong Town, Enoomatasiani Town and Kisamis Town. It is located on the boundary between Kajiado North and Kajiado West constituenci ...
, and the third phase will extend it to
Ongata Rongai
Ongata Rongai (also known as Ronga in local slang) is a town located in Kajiado North, Kajiado County, Kenya. The town is situated south of the Nairobi CBD, East of the Ngong hills, and within the greater Nairobi Metropolitan Region. It li ...
.
There are plans to extend the Nairobi–Embakasi Village line to
Ruai
Ruai is a neighbourhood in east Nairobi. It is approximately east of the central business district along Kangundo Road. It is one of the areas located in the east gate of Nairobi after Kamulu.
Location
Ruai is located approximately north ...
and the Nairobi–Syokimau line to
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is an international airport serving Nairobi, the capital and largest city of Kenya. The other three important international airports in Kenya include Kisumu International Airport, Moi International Airport a ...
.
Lines
Rolling stock
In April 2020
Kenya Railways acquired 11 refurbished
diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...
s from
Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca
Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca () or SFM is a company which operates the metre gauge railway network on the Spanish island of Majorca. The total length, including Palma Metro, also operated by this company, is .
Overview
In 1977, the line P ...
.
These trains were built between 1994 and 2003 by
CAF
CAF or caf may refer to:
Armed forces
*Canadian Armed Forces (Canadian Forces), the Canadian Air Force, Army, and Navy
*Canadian Air Force, now the Royal Canadian Air Force
*Republic of China Air Force, the air force of the Republic of China (Tai ...
as and were running on the
metre gauge railway
Metre-gauge railways ( US: meter-gauge railways) are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre.
Metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by several European colonial powers including France, Britain and ...
network on the
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
island of
Mallorca
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...
.
See also
*
Nairobi Light Rail
References
Rail transport in Kenya
Railway companies of Kenya
{{Kenya-rail-transport-stub