More locomotives, more trains and now more drivers …

RIFT VALLEY RAILWAYS GRADUATES FIRST BATCH OF SIMULATOR TRAINED DRIVERS

(Posted 20th August 2015)

The investment undertaken a year ago by Rift Valley Railways in a simulator where train drivers can be trained, and re-trained, is paying off handsomely. The nearly 900.000 US Dollars spent on the equipment and the software, which covers the entire rail network in a virtual manner, was at the centre of training some 38 new drivers from both Uganda and Kenya in recent months.

While all of them also got experience on board trains under the supervision of experienced drivers did they spend much time on the simulator to get to know the route from Mombasa via Nairobi to Kampala.

The CEO of Rift Valley Railways, Mr. Carlos De Andrade announced that it was a major development for the company from a human capital point of view. He spoke on the graduation ceremony and said: ‘A modern railway operation can only be successful if the people in charge of operating the actual locomotives have the skills necessary to manage the trains in a responsible manner. Improving the ability of the people who operate the trains was therefore necessary and an integral pillar of our 287 million dollar five year turnaround programme which we started in 2012’.

The railway simulator gives the train drivers a virtual experience of all the major routes RVR services providing the drivers with advanced knowledge about the differing terrain they can expect to encounter and how to operate the ultra-modern trains which are now operated with on board computers.

Reiterating the importance of the training in connection with some of the massive capital expenditure the company undertook over the past two years, Carlos Andrade then noted that the ‘The graduation comes at a time when RVR is about to receive the final batch of the 20 new GE locomotives that were ordered in April last year. So far we have received 13 locomotives with seven more expected soon, these new trains will more than double our locomotive capacity and allow us to provide services to lot more clients. Ensuring their goods move safely is our primary concern and the reason why these drivers have undertaken this training’.

The often asked question of a restoration of regular passenger trains, within the two countries (from information at hand there are three passenger trains a week between Nairobi and Mombasa and vice versa) as well as cross border, remains open as RVR in the recent past concentrated to meet performance targets for cargo uplifts and line upgrades, leaving many rail aficionados wondering if ever the so called ‘Iron Snake’ aka ‘Lunatic Express’ will take off again.