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Kenya says completion of high speed railway on course

Xinhua, April 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

Kenya said on Thursday that the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project will meet the set completion deadline of 2017.

A statement from Kenya Railways (KR) said the government was keen in ensuring that the SGR project is delivered to the required quality and standards within the agreed timelines.

"To achieve this, it contracted a consultant to review the preliminary and detailed designs and supervise construction of the project," KR said in a statement released in Nairobi.

The railway is being constructed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).

The statement said the consortium is expected to, among other things, ensure high quality construction with full compliance to best international practices in engineering design, working drawings and technical specifications, monitor and approve the pre- construction activities.

China has agreed to fund the first phase of a standard gauge railway line linking the East African nation's port city of Mombasa to Uganda, Burundi and South Sudan.

China Exim Bank will fund 90 percent of the 3.6 billion U.S. dollar first phase of the project that will cover about 450 kilometers from the port of Mombasa to Nairobi. The Kenyan government will provide the remainder of the funding.

CRBC has hired a wide range of professionals ranging from engineers and laboratory technicians to heavy equipment operators and human resource personnel.

The SGR project is one of Kenya's Vision 2030 flagship projects that will play an important role in improving the transport system as well as strengthening cooperation among East Africa Community (EAC) Member states and promote economic development of the region.

Kenya Railways also refuted local media reports this week that irregularities in design and safety concerns which led to suspension of the construction works on all bridges and culverts will delay the timely completion of the project.

The firm said the consultant had only suspended temporarily the construction of certain type of culverts, this being only a small portion of the overall works programme currently under implementation.

"All other works from earthworks, sleeper and bridge T-beam pre- casting works, bridges and piling works were still going on in earnest," KR said.

It said it is normal for such issues to arise in projects of this nature, and that is the reason why a team of engineers and other professionals have been put in place on a full time basis on behalf of KR, to ensure that issues are resolved as they arise without procrastination.

The railway firm said the suspension was not as a result of any structural safety concerns, quality or design defects, but just a harmonization of the standards.

"It is therefore worth noting that the supervisory consultant was carrying out its duty in ensuring that all stipulated standards are met. The temporary suspension has since been lifted after the contractor adhered to the set requirements and submitted the requisite information and documents.

KR said the contractor is very committed to ensuring that the project is implemented and delivered to the Kenyan people in the quality set out in the contract and has been very cooperative in that regard. Endi