Railways bus terminus to be redeveloped into a BRT station
Commuters at Railways Bus Station after Nairobi Metropolitan Services conducted the third test run at Green Park bus terminus on June 18, 2021.
Nairobi’s Railways bus station will be redeveloped into a Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) station for dropping and picking passengers to and from the newly-constructed Green Park Terminal, NMS has announced.
Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) Deputy Director of Transport Administration Martin Eshiwani said public service vehicles which have been using the terminus will be moved, although he did not say to where, to allow for its development.
Already, a section of the famous terminal has been fenced off to allow for the redevelopment to commence.
“We want to use the space outside Railways Central station for BRT. We want vehicles to drop people who will be using the train or pick people who have arrived by train to the Green Park terminus,” said Mr Eshiwani.
“For that reason therefore, all public service vehicles (PSVs) which have been operating from Railways Terminus will be moved to allow for its development,” he added.
The Railways station has been a dropping and picking point for matatus plying Ngong, Langata, Mombasa and Argwings Kodhek Roads.
This include matatus from Ngong, Karen, Rongai, Kikuyu, Mlolongo, Syokimau, Dagoretti, Kawangware, Kibra, Highrise, Ngumo, Langata, Nairobi West, Makadara, Kaberia, Satellite and Kiserian.
Last month, NMS tapped Kenya Railways Corporation to offer last mile services between Green Park terminus and Nairobi city centre.
The State Corporation will ferry passengers between the soon-to-be launched terminal and the city centre with precedence given to priority groups.
They include the elderly, persons with disabilities and expectant mothers who will need to connect to the city centre after alighting at the bus terminus.
Early last year, NMS announced BRT buses will be available for commuters who prefer not to walk or use the boda boda and taxi to enter the city centre.
In addition to Green Park, NMS is developing and rehabilitating six other termini as part of the Nairobi Integrated Urban Development master plan and decongestion strategy which will see PSVs terminate outside Nairobi city centre.
They include Desai and Park Road termini designed for long distance PSVs from Mt Kenya region that are currently terminating at Tea Room, Accra Road; Fig Tree terminus, Muthurwa terminus, one at the junction of Bunyala and Workshop Road and another at the Globe Roundabout.
“This is a move geared towards making transport in the capital city reliable and efficient,” said the deputy director.
