RIFT VALLEY RAILWAYS ADDS FOUR MORE GENERAL ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES TO FLEET
(Posted 20th March 2015)
The delivery yesterday at the port of Mombasa of four more brand new locomotives, part of an order for 20, has boosted capacity of Rift Valley Railways to operate more trains and carry larger loads along the Mombasa – Nairobi – Kampala route. Only very recently did RVR meet the last of the performance target requirements given to them by the governments of Uganda and Kenya, thus assuring that the concession will after all not be pulled and remains in place. Major line refurbishments over the past two years as part of a massive investment plan and the new locomotives, worth some 25 million US Dollars will be supplemented by a near doubling of rolling stock through refurbishments and new purchases. As a result has the transit time of cargo from the port of Mombasa to Kampala reduced to under four days, from what some years ago still took up to three weeks.
Part of added work in Uganda was the opening up of the defunct route from Tororo to Gulu and Pakwach, giving a railhead option for importers and exporters of bulk cargo from Eastern Congo and South Sudan.
RVR is also in the final phase of helping to establish a commuter service into Kampala in cooperation with the Kampala Capital City Authority aimed to decongesting traffic during peak periods.
The remaining seven GE locomotives are due to arrive in Mombasa in May completing the delivery of the entire order.
