Embakasi Peacock to resume operations after over a month off the rails

Morning train that was heading to pick passengers at Embakasi terminals derail near Taj Mall in the wake of slippery and muddy grounds. (Jenipher Wachie, Standard)

Judith Nekesa rested her elbows on a concrete pillar and propped her chin on her hands as she watched the entrance of the Nairobi Railway Station, where dozens of train attendants beckoned passengers for tickets.

But for the 28-year-old supermarket attendant in the city, it was another sad day when she would have to walk to the central business district to catch a matatu to her rented house in Pipeline, Embakasi.

For the three years she has been working in the city centre, Nekesa has relied on the train. About a month ago, the Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) suspended the services of the Embakasi Peacock train indefinitely. Nekesa is among the more than 2,500 commuters who have been affected by the suspension. KRC did not say when the services on the Embakasi route would resume.

A source at the corporation who did not want to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media, said the Embakasi Peacock train was being serviced after developing a technical problem a month ago in the floods.

“The flood water carries mud which settles on the rails, making them too slippery for the train. Thing have been made worse by the expansion of Outer Ring Road. The soil from the excavation has been heaped on the sides of the railway line,” said the source.

Sh40 ticket

He said stopovers such as Kware, Donholm, Pipeline, and Taj Mall were the most affected.

Nekesa said the train ticket costs Sh40 while boarding a bus to take her through Jogoo Road or Mombasa Road costs Sh80 or up to Sh120 when it rains. The suspension of the train service, she said, had drastically increased her transport budget.

“I have to spend Sh1,000 in a week or Sh4,000 in a month. On the train, I used to spend only Sh1,600 a month. Yet my net salary is only Sh13,500,” she said.

According to Jackton Odote, who lectures on energy at the Technical University of Kenya, poor servicing of the trains was to blame for their frequent stalling. He said the train used to be the most reliable means of transport but lapse in maintenance was threatening to derail the gains.

“When it rains, the ground becomes weak, leading to a possible separation of jointed railway lines, which can interfere with the operations of the train,” said Prof Odote.

Proper maintenance

He described the old engines as 'gold', saying if they were properly maintained, they would not cause any inconvenience.

“There was transition from the use of steam to diesel engines. Something seems to have gone wrong and it is possible that it is maintenance that is stalking the diesel engines currently being used,” he said.

However, there seems to be hope for commuters like Nekesa. A source at KRC, who also asked not to be named, said the train would be back in business by April 10, adding that the maintenance had been completed.