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The People's Media Agency/人民媒社/인민미디어대행사/ピープルズメディアエージェンシー/Агентство народных СМИ

Nairobi’s first metro system

NAIROBI — The State Railway Group Company will formally begin construction on Nairobi’s first metro system, which is expected to open in 8 years. The metro line is named the Orange Line, and its completion will be able to help alleviate the city’s roadside congestion.

The Orange Line’s rolling stock will comprise of the 8-car TML C-Train, of which 14 trainsets - or 112 cars - will be commissioned at the cost of $1.17 billion USP. The new trains will have a capacity of 452 passengers each and travel at top speeds of around 130 km/h on a standard gauge railway. The Railway Company has outsourced $160 million USP of construction work to local contractors, with the aim of constructing a 20 kilometre long set of railways that stretch to Nairobi Central, Ngara, Kariba, and the Upper Hill communities.

A $50 million USP integrated metro station and train depot will be constructed on an empty plot of land in Muthurwa, near the Nairobi Railway Station, which will serve as the nexus for the Orange Line. The Orange Line will include eight $144 million USP above-surface metro stations initially (outside of the Muthurwa Nexus), each with an aesthetic focused around 'green walls’, ‘green roofs’, and solar panels on the station rooftops in a bid to act more environmentally friendly. Space will also be made for local shops and retailers to commence operations within the station.

The contract of operation and maintenance of the Orange Line will be undertaken by the local city transport authority, on advice from the State Railway Group.