"Belt and Road Report" reporter Xiang Wen
Small file: Mombasa Railway from the eastern Kenyan port mombasa in the east to the capital Nairobi in the west, with a total length of about 480 kilometers, using a single-line, internal combustion engine system, designed for passenger speed of 120 kilometers per hour, freight speed of 80 kilometers per hour, contracted by CCCC, undertaken by China Road and Bridge, completed and opened to traffic on May 31, 2017. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway is Kenya's largest infrastructure project since independence and a "flagship project" for Kenya to achieve its national development vision 2030.
The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway brings a new life to the people
In the past, if you traveled to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, the coastal city of Mombasa, Emmari and other cities, you could only choose transportation such as airplanes and intercity buses. With the completion of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Rail (Mombasa-Nairobi) on 31 May 2017, you have one more choice for your trip.
At the opening ceremony, Kenyan President Kenyatta praised, "With the new railways of the Kenyan people, we will open a new page and write the history of Kenya in the next 100 years." Today, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has been open for more than two years, and it has brought great changes to Kenya's economic and social development, so this railway is also known as Kenya's "Project of the Century".
<h1 class="ql-align-justify" > African version of high-speed rail</h1>
Train conductors on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway
Drive more than a dozen kilometres southeast along Mombasa Road, the main thoroughfare in downtown Nairobi, and you'll find a modern, designed silver-gray train station. This is the pearl of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, which is built and operated by China Road and Bridge, Nairobi South Railway Station.
Walk into the station, you will find that everything here is so "familiar", security checkpoints, waiting rooms, departure platforms... If you don't see the English station signs and dark-skinned staff with Kenyan place names written on them, you will even have the illusion of being in China.
Orderly, reflecting the "Chinese standard"
As a key project of the "Belt and Road" construction of China-Africa cooperation, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway is a "Chinese standard" whole industry chain project integrating design, construction supervision, financing, equipment procurement and operation management, and it has also become a model for friendly cooperation between China and Africa in modern infrastructure construction. It is worth mentioning that the work procedures and gestures of the staff on the train are all from China, and even a train ticket smaller than the palm of the hand is adopted by Chinese standards.
The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, which runs through the plains of East Africa
When the blazing sun sprinkles on the Plains of East Africa, the train smoothly travels between the wilderness and the village, a journey that was originally more than ten hours, and now it takes only 5 hours. In the minds of many locals, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway is the "African version of high-speed rail".
On the train bound for Mombasa, the Chinese and Kenyan flags above the carriage aisle are very eye-catching. The neat carriages, spacious passageways and comfortable seats are all things that have convinced passengers who are used to the dirty mess of Kenya's old trains. Passenger Ms Barnelly said: "The interior of this train is beautiful and the ride is also very comfortable, it is really great! ”
Unique natural features
Today, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway passenger trains run in opposite directions every day, and while meeting the local passenger demand, they have also become an emerging tourist sightseeing train, and you can enjoy the scenery of the Tsavo Wildlife Sanctuary from the train. Facing the breathtaking scenery and running wildlife outside the window, passengers pulled out their mobile phones to record this beautiful moment.
<h1 class="ql-align-justify" > new fashion for young people in East Africa </h1>
Song and dance sketch "Joy and Joy"
On the spring evening of 2018, the story of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway was brought to the stage. The song and dance sketch "Same Joy and Happiness" tells the story of a joyful friendship between the Chinese and African people on the eve of the opening ceremony of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway. Among them, a group of African girls in red uniforms, dancing African dances and speaking Mandarin are impressive. It turned out that they were the first crew members of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, and they were also the "face value bearers" of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway.
In the eyes of Huang Xiaoli, captain of the passenger car of the China Road Bridge Mombasa-Nairobi Railway Operation Company, these Kenyan students are "simple and enthusiastic, active in thinking, like to communicate, study and concentrate, and have strong understanding ability", and their hard work and hard work in training have also deeply touched Huang Xiaoli. Now, these female attendants, trained with Chinese standards, have become a beautiful scenery on the Mombasa-Nairobi railway line.
Build a complete railway talent system in Kenya
"In the year of work, my life trajectory has changed." Suri Mwaka, a sweet-looking, enthusiastic and capable 22-year-old flight attendant, told reporters that her home is in Mombasa with 5 siblings and the youngest sister still in school. "Now my income is 3 times that of the past, and the living conditions at home have improved a lot. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway also gave me the opportunity to study in China, which was an eye-opener for me. Sully Mwaka said.
In May 2017, China Road & Bridge signed a 10-year operation and maintenance contract with Kenya to introduce China's railway management experience to Africa. Since Kenya itself does not have a complete railway industry system, and its university does not have a complete railway engineering and technical talent training system, for this reason, China Road and Bridge has reached an agreement with the Kenyan government to fully fund 100 Kenyan high school graduates to go to China for 4 years of railway-related undergraduate studies in 3 batches within 3 years.
Daniel, the first batch to study at the School of Electronic and Information Engineering of Beijing Jiaotong University, said that Chinese companies help us build modern railways, and we need professionals to maintain the railway in the future.
Chinese teacher and Kenyan student
In the construction and operation of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, the company employs many young people like Sully Mwaka, who stick to different positions, flight attendants, engineers, secretaries, drivers, manipulators, welders...
Working for a company with Chinese standards is a fashion for young people in East Africa! It is understood that during the construction of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, more than 46,000 Kenyans worked on the project, with more than 90% of local employees and 5,000 local management personnel trained. One year after its opening, more than 1,500 locals were involved in the operation of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway. Because of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, they not only found good jobs, but also lived a better life.
<h1 class="ql-align-justify" > far beyond the demonstration effect of the railway itself </h1>
Kenyan style
As the flagship project of China-Africa "Belt and Road" cooperation, the demonstration effect of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway is far more than the railway itself. "The impact of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway is not limited to Kenya, it is a milestone in the development of the entire region," said James Varana Macharel, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development of Kenya.
Indeed, Kenya's ambitions to build a regional connectivity rail network in The region and throughout East Africa do not stop there. Mombasa-Nairobi Railway is the first step in the East African railway network, in the case of meeting the local passenger and freight demand, the extension of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway will connect Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and Ethiopia and other 7 east African countries in the future, continuously promoting economic cooperation and cultural exchanges in East Africa, east Africa will achieve interconnection, cargo transportation costs will be significantly reduced, and accelerate the integration process of the entire East Africa.
The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has changed the lives of Kenyans
"After the opening of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, the time for transporting goods has been shortened from more than 10 hours to more than 4 hours, and logistics costs have been reduced by more than 40%. Railway construction has driven the growth of Kenya's GDP by 1.5% or even 2%, and more importantly, the development of the entire industrial chain, including ports, has been formed through the railway. Ren Wenfeng, executive general manager of the Standard Gauge Railway Project of CcCC Kenya, said. After more than a year of operation, this "star" road of Chinese equipment and standards has not only changed the lives of the Kenyan people, but also activated the transportation and even commercial territory of the entire East Africa.
Kenya Railway Director General Maina stressed that newly completed large projects such as the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway have enabled the Kenyan economy to achieve rapid growth beyond expectations. "There is no doubt that the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway and the economic corridors along the lines are fueling Kenya's economic take-off. Kenya has revolutionized infrastructure with the help of China."
The successful operation of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway is like a seed sprinkled on the land of East Africa, its meridians are like the construction of the East African railway network is constantly extending, when one day, it grows into a towering tree, I believe that the East African railway network will be more perfect, the east African regional integration construction will be more mature, and the life of the East African people will be happier and better!
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