A?train?runs?on?Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway?in?Kenya.?(PHOTO:?XINHUA)?

By?WANG Xiaoxia

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the operation of Kenya's Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). In the past five years, the Railway has improved the lives of Kenyans, promoted the country's economic and social progress, as well as the integrated development of the entire East Africa region.

The Chinese-built 480-km SGR links Mombasa, the biggest port in East Africa, with the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Since its launch on May 31, 2017, the travel time for passengers from Nairobi to Mombasa has been reduced from an average of 10 to five hours.

Over the past five years, it has carried eight million passengers, and now it runs six passenger trains a day, carrying 7,000 to 10,000 passengers, with an average occupancy rate of more than 90 percent.

Philip Mainga, managing director of state-owned enterprise Kenya Railways Corporation, hailed the SGR as Kenya's most efficient and reliable infrastructure, and said that more and more people choose to take the train because it is safe, punctual and comfortable.?

Meanwhile, an improved logistics efficiency brought by the SDR has promoted the connectivity and integration of East Africa.

It now takes eight hours to transport cargo from the port of Mombasa to Nairobi using the SGR, as opposed to more than one day through the century-old meter gauge railway.

Thanks to the SGR, Mombasa port is no longer congested, and Kenya's exports are seeing bigger volumes and more diversified products, said Mainga, who estimated that the railway contributed two to three percent to Kenya's GDP.

The modern railway has injected vitality into the local economy as it brought knowledge, skills and technology, said James Siele, Kenya Railways Business, Commercial & Operations Expert-Team leader.

In the past five years, China has trained more than 1,700 Kenyan specialists in railway technology and management.

"We have benefitted immensely from skills transfer, and our Kenyan people have been trained to operate the trains efficiently," said Siele.

A zebra eats grass near the animal passage along Mombasa-Nairobi SGR. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

Apart from development, the railway has made remarkable achievements in ecological protection. There was no evidence of any adverse impact on wildlife, said Kitili Mbathi, former director general of the Kenya Wildlife Service, who has carried out surveys along the railway line.

As the line traversed through several nature reserves in Kenya, great effort was taken to reduce its impact on the natural environment and wildlife.

According to the animal migratory routes provided by Kenya, 14 wildlife channels were built along the line, some of which are up to seven meters high, to facilitate the passage of large animals such as giraffes. There are also 600 culverts and 61 bridges where animals can cross.

Marco Lambertini, director general at WWF International, praised Chinese companies for proving that infrastructure construction and operation can be environmentally friendly.