CMA CGM has launched a dedicated rail service between the Port of Mombasa and Nairobi’s Embakasi Inland Container Depot, expanding its inland transport offering in Kenya.
The service began on October 28 and will initially carry containerised imports on one train a week. Each train comprises 54 wagons with capacity for 108 TEUs, according to the shipping group.
The inaugural train carried 108 TEUs, Kenya Railways confirmed.
Developed with Kenya Ports Authority and Kenya Railways Corporation, the service links CMA CGM’s maritime operations with rail transport to Kenya’s inland markets.
The partners are coordinating vessel discharge, container segregation, transfer to rail, train scheduling and unloading at Embakasi to support smoother cargo movements and faster equipment turnaround, according to Kenya Railways.
Customer demand would inform possible increases in frequency and the introduction of a return service to Mombasa, CMA CGM said.
“Our ambition is to strengthen connectivity between the sea, the port and inland economies,” said Naveen Prabhu, CMA CGM’s deputy regional director for East Africa.
The wider rail and road network also offered opportunities for onward cargo connections to Uganda, South Sudan, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya Railways said.
Stronger connections between Mombasa and inland economic centres were essential to strengthening Kenya’s logistics chain, said Mohamed Daghar, principal secretary for transport at Kenya’s Ministry of Roads and Transport. He said cooperation between maritime and rail stakeholders supported trade and economic development.
