Kenya Railways has come out strongly to deny reports that a good batch of their commuter rail diesel units have malfunctioned.
KR, in a response to an article published by Nation Media’s Weekly Review Magazine on Sunday, August 11, 2024, regarding Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) that operate under the Nairobi Commuter Rail (NCR) service, said that the reports are not true.
“Contrary to the story, the eleven DMUs acquired by KR in 2020 are fully operational and in good condition. The DMUs, which operate on the Metre Gauge Railway lines, run daily as per schedule,” Kenya Railways said in a statement published on Sunday, August 11, 2024.
The state corporation also clarified that it always undertakes regular maintenance on the DMUs as well as other locomotives and coaches to ensure the safety and comfort of its customers at all times.
“In line with our standard operating procedures, we are bound to recall and detach locomotives and/or coaches, including the DMUs, for routine maintenance, which takes place at the Nairobi Railway Central workshops,” the statement continued to read.
KR also clarified why there was a rescheduling of engine units that were previously designated on a different route.
“When the DMUs began operations, KR had scheduled them to operate along the Nairobi-Syokimau and Embakasi routes. However, due to the high number of customers plying the Syokimau route, we rededicated the DMUs to serve the Embakasi route and provided a high-capacity train for the Syokimau route,” it continued.
Commuter Rail Masterplan
According to Kenya Railways, the acquisition of the DMUs was in line with the Commuter Rail Masterplan, which aims at revitalising the Nairobi commuter rail service.
“The DMUs have been functional and continue addressing the immediate actions identified under the masterplan for the provision of reliable, safe, and comfortable modern rail transport services.
“Implementation of phase one (1) of the masterplan has been successful, leading to an increased demand for the commuter service,” the statement added.
KR said they are in the process of implementing phase two of the masterplan under the Nairobi Railway City Project, which entails the purchase of new high-capacity Diesel Electric Multiple Units (DEMUs) with a seating capacity of 1200 pax, double the capacity of the existing DMUs.
“The Diesel Electric Multiple Units (DEMUs) are an eight-c*r set comprising of motorized and non-motorized units that can be detached to subsets of lower capacity,” KR stated.