Business, Investment & infrastructure
Railways Sector Set for Major face-
lift Amidst Worker’s Woes
By Safari Njema reporter
R
ift Valley Railways (RVR)
w o r k e r s h a ve c a l l e d
off their two-day strike
over delayed pay, resuming
the Nairobi Commuter Trains
operations.
T h e s tr i k i n g w o r k e r s
co m p r i s i n g d r i ver s , tra i n
attendants, engineers, security
personnel and welders resumed
work on Monday21st August 2017,
after payment of their pending
July salaries.
RVR’s General Mana ger,
Sammy Gachuhi said RVR and
the striking staff agreed on
payment of salaries.
“We ran trains over the
weekend and commuter trains
also operated this morning
and will continue to operate,”
Gachuhi said.
The RVR Nairobi service runs
the CBD to Syokimau line, CBD-
Ruiru route via Dandora, and
another route to Kikuyu through
Kibera.
The employees went to the
streets and had been protesting
at the RVR offices in Nairobi
demanding to be paid their July
pay in full.
The rail company had earlier
resorted to paying them half of
the July salaries, as it is facing
financial constraints following
the cancellation of its 25-year
l ease contract with Kenya
Railways.
The Kenya Railways (KR)
terminated the contract that it
signed with the RVR in January
2006, citing unmet operating
targets and agreements.
A joint committee between
KR and RVR was formed to
attend to stakeholders and
ensure minimal disruption of
services during the transition
period.
“KR and RVR have committed
to ensure a smooth transition
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that entails a smooth hand back of operations and transfer of assets,”
according to a statement by the national railway operator.
Even as this is ongoing, the Nairobi Commuter Train schedule
was recently revised in a move to enhance efficiency and customer
satisfaction.
According to KR, the new schedulewill see the commuter train
depart from Nairobi Railway Station at 7:30 am, 30 minutes earlier
than the previous time.
“The train will pass by the Makadara station at 7:44am before
making another stop at ImaraDaima Station at 7:58am. It will then
head for its final stop at the Nairobi Terminus in Syokimau, arriving
at 8.20am,” reads the official statement.
September 2017