Kenya’s Standard Gauge rail
Introduction
Amidst the information glut that is presented by the digital modes of
communication and the political clamor, vital components of Kenya’s
infrastructure development can be lost. Nonetheless, they represent
history unfolding in our lifetime. The governments of Kenya, Uganda,
Rwanda and South Sudan have embarked on railway transport development
within the northern corridor. This will be achieved through the
construction of the standard gauge railway (SGR) connecting Mombasa to
Malaba (with a branch line to Kisumu) onward to Kampala, Kigali (with a
branch line to Kasese) and Juba (with a branch line to Pakwach).
The railway line will have a uniform design specification which will
permit seamless operation across the borders. The railway development
will include upgrading and modernization of the railway training
institutes in Nairobi and Tororo to provide local manpower for the
construction and operation of the railways.
While the Mombasa to Malaba/Kisumu section is expected to be
operational by 2018, the feasibility study and the preliminary design of
Malaba to Kampala section is in progress. The governments of Uganda and
Rwanda are also discussing joint procurement of consultants to
undertake the feasibility studies and preliminary designs of the Kampala
to Kasese and Bihanga to Kigali sections. Uganda and South Sudan also
intend to jointly study the Tororo to Pakwach and Gulu to Juba sections
for standard gauge railway installation.
Review of the standard gauge railway project in Kenya
A lot of progress has been made and the ongoing construction and
development is set to be over by 2018. Kenya is to develop Mombasa –
Malaba/Kisumu sections in two phases.
Phase 1: Mombasa to Nairobi
This phase is in the development stage. The engineering procurement
and construction (EPC) contractor identified and the ground breaking and
beginning of construction took place on 28 October, 2014.
Phase 2: Nairobi – Malaba/Kisumu
The feasibility study and preliminary designs is in progress for this stage.
A brief introduction to railways
A railway is s permanent track composed of a line of parallel steel
rails fixed to sleepers and is for transporting passengers and goods in
trains. Railway also refers to any track on which the wheels of a
vehicle may run. Railways refer to the entire, infrastructure,
equipment, rolling stock, buildings, property, personnel and systems of
operation used in railway transport.
Features
Some of the outstanding features of the standard gauge railway on
construction which will be developed for freight and passenger traffic
include the following:
Each freight train will have a capacity of 216 twenty feet equivalent
units (TEUs) and will travel at an average speed of 80 kilometers per
hour and they will be operated on the basis of speed, safety and cost
effectiveness.
The passenger services will be operated with maximum safety and
comfort for passengers at the stations and inside the trains. Each
passenger train will have a capacity of 960 passengers and will travel
at the average speed of 120 kilometers per hour. To improve the
railways, there will be construction of state-of-the-art stations.
The railway has been designed for environmental compatibility
particularly within the national parks where fencing will be provided
along with under passages for wild animals.
Design standards Mombasa-Nairobi railway
Gauge-1,435 mm
Design standard-Chinese
Class of railway-Class 1 design, maintenance and operation
Number of tracks-Single initially (civil infrastructure prepared for future doubling)
Length of crossing loops-Minimum 880 meters
Rail-International union of railways (UIC) 60 (60 kg/m)
Switches-Electrically operated
Minimum horizontal curve radius-1,200 meters; difficult sections 800 meters
Minimum vertical curve radius-10,000 meters
Maximum gradient-1.2%
Power type-Diesel initially
Type of locomotives-Passenger: 3,300 HP, Freight: 5,000 HP, Shunting: 2,000 HP
Loading gauge-Double stack containers and future electrification
Axel load-25 tonnes (minimum)
Scope of work
The scope of work is to build a single line standard gauge railway
connecting Mombasa to Nairobi with a total track length 609.3
kilometres.
The works will include building freight exchange centres at Mombasa,
Voi and Nairobi. Other works include supply and installation of
facilities including: water systems, electricity supply, signalling,
communication and IT at 33 stations, building and installation of
traffic control centre for the whole line at Nairobi, building
state-of-the-art passenger stations at Mombasa and Nairobi and five
other intermediate stations, supplying locomotives and rolling stock
(passenger coaches and freight wagons), building and equipping
maintenance workshops for infrastructure, locomotives, rolling stock and
facilities and finally be liable for defects for 12 months after the
handing over of the various project elements
Challenges
There are several challenges to be overcome in this venture
including; steep incline and ragged terrain mitigated by long viaducts
(5 kilometres) from Miritini to Mazeras; deep cuttings and high
embankments; a long bridge over Tsavo River; passages for wildlife at
Tsavo National Park. There are also the crossing roads and existing
railways; these require grade separation. During construction there will
be need to observe safety in operations and put up fencing with
elephant proof fencing materials throughout in Tsavo National Park.
Land acquisition is a long and tedious process which can cause delays
to construction and pose a financial challenge. This is a green field
project which will require new stations, depots and facilities like
electricity, water supply and equipments. Vitally, it will require
locomotives and rolling stock new purchases without which we have no
railway.
Operational expectations and other statistics
Load per freight train-4,000
Load per passenger train-1,200 passengers
Number of passenger trains-4/day initially
Average speed freight trains-80 km/hour (transit time Mombasa – Nairobi = 8 hours)
Average speed passenger trains-120 km/h (transit time Mombasa – Nairobi = 4 hours 30 minutes)
Line capacity-28 million tones/annum
Infrastructure cost (609.3 km)-USD 3.98 million/km of track
Total cost of turnkey project-KES 327 billion (including civil works, facilities, locomotives and rolling stock)
The end product should be a typical freight train; 880 metres long
with 54 double stack flat wagons carrying 216 TEUs. It should be able to
cover Mombasa – Kisumu in a transit time less than 18 hours.
Project drivers
The major motivations for the project include: reducing the cost of
transportation in the country and the region making Kenya attractive to
investment; reducing the freight transportation tariff USD 0.20 per
tonne-kilometre on the average to USD 0.083 per tonne-kilometre; and
reducing transit time for freight trains from 30 hours on the average to
less than 8 hours between Mombasa and Nairobi with increased rail
transport share in the northern corridor. This will reduce damage to the
roads and make the roads safer.
Social benefits
There will be direct jobs created including at least 60 new jobs per
kilometer of track during the construction period. The local industries
will get a stimulus. Large quantities of local inputs such as steel,
cement, aggregates, electricity generation and electricity transmission
pylons and cables, roofing materials, glass, etc. will be required from
local industries with potential to create at least 10,000 jobs. The
service and hospitality industry will also get a boost estimated at
3,000 jobs to provide foods, accommodation and leisure.
There will be skills development with an estimated 15,000 people to
acquire skills suitable for self employment after the construction
period. These are masons, carpenters, mechanics, electricians, etc.
Technology will be transferred to Kenyans with an estimated 400
engineers and high technology technicians trained during construction
and will be available for local and regional railway development.
Accidents will be reduced as the railway will reduce the number of heavy
trucks on the road thus reducing accident incidents making the roads
safer for human traffic.
Economic benefits
There will be reduced cost of transportation in the region making it
an attractive investment destination, and the trains will protect the
environment through reduced carbon emission. The better infrastructure
will accelerate industrialization through easier and cheaper transport
and the establishment of new industries to service the new railway. The
railway will contribute to the economy by an annual GDP growth of at
least 1.5% during construction and subsequent operation. It will enhance
the region’s competitiveness; reduce congestion at the Mombasa Port
thereby securing the port as the preferred facility in the region. It
will also reduce wear and tear on roads thereby reducing maintenance
cost and enhanced freight security.
Steps in the development process
Promise of funding
Feasibility study and preliminary designs by consultant
Kenya railways (KR) and consultant review of feasibility study and preliminary designs
Preparation of bills of quantities and estimates
Commercial contracts preparations, negotiations and signatures
Application for financing loan(s) and grants
Peer review of feasibility study and preliminary design
Financing conditions
Financing agreement(s) negotiations and signatures
Disbursement
Financing
The government of Kenya currently incorporates in the countries
annual budgets the railway development fund (RDF) to be serviced by a
1.5 % levy on the cost of all imports. This generates KES. 20 billion
annually. The budgets and railways development fund provide seed funds
for outsourcing of loans. The main funding is expected from Loans from
EXIM Bank of China under government-to-government arrangement. The
government of the People’s Republic of China has a three-year loaning
arrangement with Africa under Forum on China – Africa Corporation
(FOCAC). In 2012 – 2015, China has set aside USD 20 billion in loans to
support the development of certain projects in Africa.
The total cost of the project is USD 3.804 billion. The loan from
EXIM Bank is USD 3.233 billion (85 %) while the government of Kenya is
to contribute the remaining 15 %.
The loan from the EXIM bank is divided into two parts. The first part
is a concessional loan of USD 1.6 billion. It has a 2 % interest per
annum with a grace period 7 years. The repayment period is 13 years.
The second part is a commercial loan USD 1.633 billion: ? LIBOR + 360
base point interest per annum. The grace period is 5 years with a
repayment period of 10 years. The insurance for the commercial loan is
at 6.93%of the value of the loan and paid in three annual instalments.
The interest payment during the grace period is to be covered by
government of Kenya from budgetary allocations and railways development
fund. After this, loan repayment must be covered by revenue from the
railways operations. The government of Kenya is to guarantee adequate
traffic for railways to generate revenue covering operations and
loans/interest payments.
Lenders comfort
EXIM Bank has taken the following measures to ensure the loan will be repaid:
The contractor and construction standard will be Chinese. The
railways operator must be familiar to the lender. The loan insurance is
also done by SinoSure of China. After construction, the government of
Kenya should guarantee traffic for profitable operations.
The escrow account will be opened and operated jointly by EXIM Bank
and Kenya Railways with 3 scheduled charges as follows: first charge for
operations, second charge for payment of loans and interest and the
final charge for capital projects.
The government of Kenya is also expected to guarantee the loan,
confirm available funding for land acquisition and relocation. The
government of Kenya must also confirm available funding for 15% of its
contribution.
Lessons
Through this process several lessons have been learnt. One of the
challenges is identifying suitable funding for development. This leads
to the realization that government-to-government funding is most
promising since this is a capital intensive undertaking and takes some
time to pay back. Public Private Partnerships and private funding have
certain challenges diminishing their role in financing a green railway
development in the East African region.
It is realized that lenders have similar conditions for loans but the
conditions for new railways projects are more stringent thus, in new
railway development, emphasis should be given to economic and social
benefits rather than financial returns.
Comparison
|
Item
|
KENYAN SGR
|
ETHIOPIAN RAIL
|
|
Project cost
|
·
KES 327 billion ($3.804b)(including civil works, facilities,
locomotives and rolling stock)
|
·
$2.8
billion on Ethiopian side.
|
|
Start date
|
·
1st October 2014
|
|
|
Estimated period for construction
|
·
42 months
|
·
To be commissioned early 2016
|
|
Rail length (Msa-Nbi)
|
·
length 609.3 kilometres
|
·
length 756 kilometres
|
|
Stations
|
·
Single Track with 33 crossing stations each
loop line measuring 1.2km long
·
2 big stations at msa, nbi and 5 smaller ones at Mariakani,
Voi, Mtito Andei, Sultan Hamud and Athi River.
|
|
|
Gauge
|
·
1,435 mm
|
·
1,435 mm
|
|
Design standard
|
·
Chinese
|
|
|
Minimum horizontal curve radius
|
·
1,200 meters; difficult sections 800 meters
|
·
> 2,000 meters minimum (in urban areas and approaching developed
cities, lower radii can be permitted).
|
|
Minimum vertical curve radius
|
·
10,000 meters
|
|
|
Maximum gradient
|
·
1.2%
|
·
<1.0% (In exceptional conditions 2% maximum gradient will be
permitted to minimize extent of cut/fill + tunnelling works),
|
|
Passing loops
|
·
-
|
·
3-km long at = 30km intervals approximately or at stations (Subject to
capacity assessment and performance
modelling)
|
|
Alignment
|
·
-
|
·
Where possible, construct as open route (ie in cutting/
embankment, on bridges/viaducts as
much as possible). Where tunnels are required, these to be as short as
possible.
|
|
Loading gauge
|
·
Double stack containers and future electrification
|
|
|
Axel load
|
·
25 tonnes (minimum)
|
·
25 Tonnes Maximum
|
|
Rail beams type
|
·
Rail-International union of railways (UIC) 60 (60 kg/m)
|
·
UIC 54 or 60 kg rails CWR on concrete sleepers at 60 cm spacing
|
|
|
·
|
|
|
Number of tracks
|
·
Single initially (civil infrastructure prepared for future doubling)
|
·
The 107kms from Addis Ababa to Adama line is a
double track while the rest 549 kms is a single track rail.
|
|
Switches
|
·
Electrically operated
|
|
|
Power type
|
·
Diesel initially
·
Passenger: 3,300 HP
·
Freight: 5,000 HP
·
Shunting: 2,000 HP
|
·
Electric
·
EMU and Locomotive hauled passenger trains; Passenger: 6000 HP
·
Freight: 6000 HP
·
Shunting: 1,000 HP Diesel
Hydraulic Traction or similar
|
|
No. of locomotives
|
·
56 diesel locomotives. The locomotives shall power 1,620 Freight
Wagons and 40 Passenger Coaches.
|
·
3 passenger and 32 freight electric locomotives.
|
|
Maintenance locomotives
|
·
-
|
·
2,500 HP Diesel Electric Traction (Can be used for project
construction train operations, initial revenue earning services and
perturbations recovery).
|
|
Freight train
|
·
54 double stack flat wagons carrying 216 twenty feet equivalent units (TEUs)-4,000
tonnes
·
Average speed of 80 KPH
|
·
100 Tonnes gross weight with flats. Examine option for double stacking
containers. Freight train length 775m
·
Max speed of 120 KPH
|
|
Passenger train
|
·
capacity of 960 passengers/train
·
Average speed of 120 KPH
|
·
Average speed of 160 KPH with future provision for 225 kph operation.
|
|
Signalling and communication
|
·
-
|
·
Signalling: Fixed block + Lineside Signals + In Cab
Technology.(Moving Block signalling option
to be assessed).
·
Communication: GSM-R or similar fibre optic based. Fixed + mobile
telephones.
·
Train control: CTC, ATC, ATS, remotely controlled points machines
|
|
Other fancy stuff
|
·
Maximum safety and comfort for passengers at the stations and inside
the trains.
·
Freight train operated on the
basis of speed, safety and cost effectiveness
·
environmental compatibility particularly within the national parks
where fencing will be provided along with under passages for wild animals
|
·
Animal proof fence to be provided in the open country with
accommodation crossings or elevated sections to suit environment and
wildlife.
|
|
Funding
|
·
The loan from EXIM Bank is USD 3.233 billion (85 %) while the
government of Kenya is to contribute the remaining 15 %.
|
·
55% of the total investment will be expected from foreign funding and
45 % of the total investment will be from the project owner (Ethiopia Government).
|
|
Sources
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