SGR employees to undergo extensive training for localized operations

Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) employees are set to benefit from months-long training on how to localize operations.

The training which will run from March to June 2024, is aimed at speeding up skills transfer of SGR staff to knowledge and technology transfer.

The training which will feature 78 courses, and designed for all levels of railway professionals, will be executed virtually by Africa Star Railway Operation Company (Afristar), SGR operator together with Guangzhou Railway Polytechnic in China.

This is in the run-up to the official handover of the SGR operations to the Kenya Railways Corporation.

Currently, Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) assumes 90 per cent of operations of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line from the Chinese firm Africa Star Railway Operation Company (Afristar).

The Chinese company started a partial handover to Kenya railways as the eight-year operations deal comes to a halt.

Despite plans to have the official handover in June this year, the initial plan of operations dictated that the last function of the Chinese firm would run till December 31st, 2025.

The courses are designed to enable the employees to understand the knowledge and technology in the field of railway operations, as well as forecast the analysis of railway transport demand and management, railway freight and passenger transport.

The training is also aimed at equipping Railway Training Institute (RTI) teachers with more knowledge in railway management, developing training courses for Kenya Railways employees, as well as conducting further consultations in railway operations.

In a statement to the newsroom, Afristar management said that the training will be offered by lecturers who are China's top experts and professors from Guangzhou Railway Polytechnic engaged in railway operations and maintenance.

Further, the statement read, “as the training undertaker, Guangzhou Railway Polytechnic is a top and key institute specializing in railway operation in China.

It has trained a large number of excellent railway operation management talents for China, Indonesia, Thailand, and other countries in the world”.

Some of the topics under the 78-course curriculum include, railway equipment uses and infrastructure maintenance and management; station emergency response; railway signal fundamentals; construction and replacement of railway bridge bearings and railway transportation equipment.

Others are optic fiber monitoring systems; train handling during equipment failure; transmission system; curve maintenance; freight management system; and water resistance test bench operation.

The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) construction from Nairobi to Mombasa, a 472-kilometer project, began in December 2014 and was completed ahead of schedule, with the line officially opening in 2017.

This goes down in history as Kenya’s most expensive infrastructure project, which cost Sh464.4 Billion (3.6 B USD).