A Review of the Impact of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) On Kenya’s National Development

Since its introduction during the Industrial Revolution, railway transport has played a key role in economic development of nations. With time, railway transport became increasingly unresponsive to technology and market opportunities thereby being overtaken by other more efficient modes especially road transportation in moving freight. However, the last three decades or so have witnessed renaissance of railways in most parts of the world. Today, railway transport has been modernized and uses high-speed trains averaging about 250kph in Europe, North America and Asia. Africa has lagged behind in modernizing its railway transport largely relying on the old and dilapidated infrastructure built during the colonial era. The main objective of this paper is to discuss the likely impact of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in contributing to the development of Kenya. The positive and negative impacts it may have on the Kenyan economy are examined. This is necessary because the dilapidated and inefficient Kenya- Uganda Railway was a colonial railway which did not contribute much to Kenya’s socio-economic development. The paper adopts an exploratory approach as this is the first time the SGR has been developed in the country and its likely impacts are not clear.

• Record URL:
  https://www.worldtransportjournal.org/journal
• 
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13527614
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2017 World Transport Policy & Practice Journal.
• Authors:
  • Irandu, Evaristus M
• Publication Date: 2017-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; Maps; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 22-37
• Serial:
  • World Transport Policy & Practice
  • Volume: 23
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: Eco-Logica Limited
  • ISSN: 1352-7614
  • Serial URL: https://www.worldtransportjournal.org/journal
• Publication flags:

  Open Access (libre)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Economic development; Gage (Rails); High speed rail; Railroad transportation; Socioeconomic factors
• Identifier Terms: Kenya-Uganda Railway
• Geographic Terms: Kenya
• Subject Areas: Economics; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01653324
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 11 2017 1:45PM