still situated at Nairobi railway station, which is located near
the city centre. The line runs through Nairobi, from Mombasa to
Kampala. Its main use is freight traffic, but regular nightly passenger
trains connect Nairobi to Mombasa and Kisumu. A number of morning and
evening commuter trains connect the centre with the suburbs, but the
city has no proper light rail, tramway, or rapid transit lines. A
proposal has been passed for the construction of a commuter rail line.
The country's third president since independence, President Mwai Kibaki
on Tuesday, November 13 2012 launched the Syokimau Rail Service marking a
major milestone in the history of railway development in the country.
The opening of the station marked another milestone in efforts to
realise various projects envisaged under the Vision 2030 Economic
Blueprint. The new station has a train that ferries passengers from
Syokimau to the city centre cutting travel time by half. Opening of the
station marks the completion of the first phase of the Sh24b Nairobi
Commuter Rail Network that is geared at easing traffic congestion in
Nairobi, blamed for huge economic losses.
After the completion of the
Syokimau Station, focus will be put on building other nine modern
stations including those on Jogoo Road, Imara Daima and Makadara Estate.
Taxi
Taxis
are available in most parts of the city. They are costly in comparison
to matatus and buses but are a safer and more convenient form of
transport. They park outside most hotels, at taxi ranks in the city
centre, and at shopping malls.
Roads
Nairobi is served by highways
that link Mombasa to Kampala (Uganda) and Arusha (Tanzania). These are
earmarked to ease the daily motor traffic within and surrounding the
metro area. However, driving in Nairobi is chaotic. Most of the roads
are tarmacked and there are signs showing directions to certain
neighborhoods. The city is
