The Nairobi-Addis Ababa Railway is an upcoming Standard Gauge Railway in Kenya and Ethiopia under the LAPSSET project. [1] [2] Conceptualized in 1975, LAPSSET was launched in 2009 under President Mwai Kibaki as part of Kenya's Vision 2030. It is also part of the East African Railway Masterplan.
Kenya and Ethiopia signed an agreement to build the 3000 km LAPSSET railway at a cost of USD 13.8 billion in September 2023. [2] [1] In addition to connecting the capital cities of the two countries, Addis Ababa and Nairobi with a Standard Gauge Railway, it will also connect Ethiopia to the Lamu Port via the railway link from Isiolo to Lamu.
Transport in Ethiopia is overseen by the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Over the last years, the Ethiopian federal authorities have significantly increased funding for rail and road construction to build an infrastructure, that allows better economic development.
Transport in Kenya refers to the transportation structure in Kenya. The country has an extensive network of paved and unpaved roads.
Rail transport in Ethiopia is done within the National Railway Network of Ethiopia, which currently consists of three electrified standard gauge railway lines: the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway, the Awash–Weldiya Railway and the Weldiya–Mekelle Railway. Other lines are still in the planning phase. There is also an urban light rail system in the country's capital, the Addis Ababa Light Rail.
Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC), also Kenya Railways (KR) is the national railway of Kenya. Established in 1977, KR is a state corporation.
China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), a subsidiary of Fortune Global 500 company China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), focuses on global civil engineering and construction projects such as highways, railways, bridges, ports, and tunnels. Growing out of the Foreign Aid Office of the Ministry of Communications of China, CRBC and its predecessors have been executing projects since 1958. In 1979, CRBC was formally established and entered the international contracting market. The parent entity, CCCC, was formed through the combination of CRBC and China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC) in 2005.
Railway stations in Kenya include:
Current railway stations in Ethiopia are served by standard gauge railways of the National Railway Network of Ethiopia which is mostly under construction, except the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway. Other stations were built for the in 2018 still operating metre gauge Ethio-Djibouti Railways, although this railway has officially been superseded by the new Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway.
Railway stations in Djibouti are served by standard gauge railways of the Djiboutian Railway Company.
Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) is a state corporation with the responsibility to "maintain, operate, improve and regulate all scheduled seaports" on the Indian Ocean coastline of Kenya, including principally Kilindini Harbour at Mombasa. Other KPA ports include Lamu, Malindi, Kilifi, Mtwapa, Kiunga, Shimoni, Funzi and Vanga.
Kenya–Uganda relations are bilateral relations between Kenya and Uganda. The two African Great Lakes countries are partners in many areas, particularly in the trade, infrastructure, security (military), education, agriculture and energy sectors.
All railway stations in South Sudan are on the Babonasa-Wau line, which was built from 1959 to 1962. During the Second Sudanese Civil War, the line was badly damaged and parts of the line were mined. It was fully restored in 2010 with funding of $250 million from United Nations.
Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor project, also known as Lamu corridor is a transport and infrastructure project in Kenya that, when complete, will be the country's second transport corridor. Kenya's other transport corridor is the Northern Corridor, which links Mombasa to Uganda, passing through Nairobi and much of the Northern Rift. Some basic LAPSSET infrastructure has been built. The construction of LAPSSET's main components is currently ongoing with construction of the first berth at Lamu Port completed in October 2019.. Although the project is not formally stalled, its short to medium term success looks increasingly unlikely. Insecurity and political instability in Kenya are mostly to blame for this, as are more commercially viable alternative pipeline options through Tanzania or Ethiopia. The low oil prices since 2015 also affect LAPSSET's commercial prospects.
Ethiopia–Kenya relations are bilateral relations between Ethiopia and Kenya. The two nations maintain primarily trade ties.
The Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway is a standard gauge international railway that serves as the backbone of the new Ethiopian National Railway Network. The railway was inaugurated by Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on January 1, 2018. It provides landlocked Ethiopia with access to the sea, linking Ethiopia's capital of Addis Ababa with Djibouti and its Port of Doraleh. More than 95% of Ethiopia's trade passes through Djibouti, accounting for 70% of the activity at the Port of Djibouti.
The Garissa–Nuno–Modogashe–Wajir Road is a road in Kenya, connecting the towns of Garissa, Nuno, Modogashe and Wajir.
Lamu–Garissa–Isiolo Road, is a road in Kenya, and is part of the Lamu-Garissa-Isiolo-Lokichar Road, which itself is a component of the Lamu Port and Lamu-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor (LAPSSET) Project.
The Nairobi–Malaba Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is the project of standard-gauge railway that should connect Kenya's capital city of Nairobi to Malaba, at the international border with Uganda. The Nairobi–Malaba SGR was to connect other standard gauge railways in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, under the East African Railway Master Plan.
The Kenya Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is a partially finished railway system connecting Kenya's cities. Once completed, it will link the country to the neighboring country of Uganda, and through Uganda, to South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi. There are also plans to link to Addis Ababa, in neighboring Ethiopia to the north. The first segment, between Mombasa and Nairobi, opened passenger rail service in June 2017, and freight rail service in January 2018. Other segments are under construction or planned. The new standard gauge railway, is intended to replace the old, inefficient metre-gauge railway system.
The Isiolo–Moyale Road is a road section of the A2 Road in Kenya, connecting the towns of Isiolo, Archers Post, Marsabit, and Moyale. The road is a component of the Lamu Port and Lamu-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor (LAPSSET) Project. It connects Kenya to Ethiopia, its neighbor to the north.