The former Uganda Railway, was run by the company East African Railways jointly for the countries of Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya after World War I. Since the dissolution of the EAR corporation in 1977 the national company Kenya Railways Corporation runs the former Uganda Railway and its branches in Kenya. The most important line in the country runs between the port of Mombasa and Nairobi, where sleeping car accommodation is offered for tourists.
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In 2006, the Rift Valley Railways Consortium led by South African companies took operating control of the Kenya and Uganda railways as part of a contract lasting at least 25 years. After criticism from the Kenya Railways Corporation, RVR doubled the frequency of service, and also imposed restrictions to reduce derailments on the ageing infrastructure.
RVR run passenger trains within Kenya only, primarily from Nairobi to Mombasa but also to local towns such as Kisumu. Passenger services on these lines are offered on peak periods only. Freight services are the bulk of RVR's operations.
Operational Track
Total: 2,778 km (1,726 mi)
Narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge
Railway links with adjacent countries
Specifications
Standard gauge
As part of the East African Railway Master Plan, Kenya is building a standard gauge railway network to replace the meter-gauge railways. The standard gauge network will connect to other standard gauge railways that are under construction throughout East Africa. Construction began on the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway in 2013, and the line is scheduled to be completed in June 2017.