Kenya’s Chinese-built Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway has logged 3,000 days of safe operations, operator Africa Star Railway Operation Company (Afristar) said Sunday. Launched on May 31, 2017, the 472-km line has carried roughly 15.93 million passengers and moved more than 41.96 million tons of cargo, according to the company.
Designed, built, and operated by China Road and Bridge Corporation to Chinese standards, the SGR is Kenya’s first new railway since independence and a flagship of China–Kenya cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. Afristar says the line has boosted transport efficiency and added about 1.5% to Kenya’s GDP.
Beyond trains and tonnage, the project has had a sizable jobs and skills footprint: around 74,000 jobs created during construction and operations, and 2,800 Kenyan specialists trained in standard-gauge railway technology. As Afristar put it, the SGR has offered Kenyans a faster, more reliable way to travel while helping local trade pick up speed.
