Nairobi — The Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) has refuted claims that 10 out of its 11 Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) trains bought in 2020 have broken down and only one is operational.
Through a statement the corporation clarified that all the Diesel Multiple Unit trains operating on the Nairobi Commuter Rail (NCR) service are fully operational and in excellent working condition.
This is in response to an article that was published in one of the local newspapers claiming that the commuter trains are not running.
"Kenya Railways would like to state facts concerning the story that appeared in the Nation Media's Weekly Review magazine on Sunday 11th August, 2024 regarding Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs).Contrary to the story, the eleven DMUs acquired by KR in 2020 are fully operational and in good condition," the Corporation stated.
The Corporation affirmed that the publication's article, which claimed that all of the DMUs purchased in accordance with Kenya Railways' commuter rail masterplan, aimed at reviving the Nairobi commuter rail service was not factual.
"The DMUS have been functional and continue addressing the immediate actions identified under the Masterplan for provision of reliable, safe and comfortable modern rail transport services, 'it added.
Kenya Railways noted that it has successfully implemented Phase One of the Masterplan following increased demand for the commuter service and is now in the process of rolling out Phase two of the plan under the Nairobi Railway City Project.
The second phase of the masterplan included purchase of new high capacity Diesel Electric Multiple Units (DEMUS) with a sitting capacity of 1200 pax, double the capacity of the existingUnits.
The Diesel Electric Multiple Units (DEMUs) are an Eight Car set consisting of motorized and non-motorized units that can be detached to subsets of lower capacity.