FACTORS AFFECTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF NAIROBI METROPOLITAN RAIL NETWORK RESEARCH THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE AWARD OF A MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE IN URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING. BY VICTOR WAHOME Reg. no. B50/7868/2006 SCHOOL OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI SUPERVISOR: DR. S.O. OBIERO JULY, 2013 DECLARATION This thesis is my original work and has not been presented for a degree in any other university. Signature………………………………….Date……………………………. By Victor Wahome Reg. no. B50/7868/2006 Supervisor’s Declaration. This thesis has been submitted for examination with my approval as a University Supervisor. Signature…………………………………...Date……………………….. Name of Supervisor: Dr. Samuel Obiero ii DEDICATION To my wife and my beloved children, may the Almighty God bless you. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I give thanks to God Almighty for having brought me thus far. His strength and grace have been my pillars and source of comfort and encouragement throughout my academic life. My appreciation also goes to the University of Nairobi, Department of Urban Planning academic staff for impacting on me valuable knowledge and great perseverance skills. I am greatly indebted to my supervisor Dr Samuel Obiero for his guidance, encouragement and moral support throughout my research work. iv LIST OF ACRONYMS KRC Kenya Railway Corporation KAA Kenya Airports Authority KYU Kikuyu RIU Ruiru AU African Union GPS Geographical Positioning System CBD Central Business District AfDB African Development Bank v ABSTRACT Rail transport is the second most important mode of transport in Kenya, after road transport, for both freight and passenger services. The problem of the study was that there is inadequate development of railway network in Kenya, specifically lack of legal framework to development a metropolitan railway system amidst the transportation problem in the city of Nairobi. This thesis presents an analysis of Nairobi metropolitan commuter rail system to define the principles involved. The analysis involves analyzing the status of the operations of the existing commuter rail transit network in terms of accessibility to passengers, routing and convenience and the underlying limitations; determination of the factors affecting development of the Nairobi metropolitan rail system with a view to proposing a sustainable approach to delivery of an effective metropolitan mass transit rail network in Nairobi city and its environs in terms of spatial convenience and accessibility to passenger traffic. The methodology for the study included both secondary and primary sources. Secondary sources included review of existing literature on metropolitan commuter rail development with a few case studies from both developed and developing countries. Primary data was collected through field survey; administering of questionnaires; observations and interviews. Data analysis was done through statistical, descriptive and geo-spatial analyses. The study found that the Kenya railway Corporation (KRC) has limited experience about improvement of urban railways. The study further concludes that the resources for rail improvement are scarce, and maintenance and management of the work done are hardly enough. In other words, the knowledge and the know- how required for improvement, maintenance and expansion of urban railways have not been acquired adequately. The study recommended the need for KRC to take cognizant of the major changes in the world that present opportunities for the railway industry to play a positive role in national development. vi Table of Contents DECLARATION .................................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION ....................................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ...................................................................................................................... iv ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Problem statement ............................................................................................................................. 3 1.3 Purpose of the study........................................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Scope of the study ............................................................................................................................. 5 1.5 Research questions ............................................................................................................................ 5 1.6 Objectives of the study ...................................................................................................................... 5 1.6.1 General Objective ........................................................................................................................... 5 1.6.2 Specific Objectives ......................................................................................................................... 6 1.7 Significance of the Study .................................................................................................................... 6 1.8 Limitations of the study ..................................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................... 7 2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Urban Land Use and Transportation .................................................................................................. 8 2.2.1. The Land Use - Transport System ................................................................................................... 8 2.2.2 Urban Land Use Models ................................................................................................................ 10 2.2.3. Transportation and Urban Dynamics ............................................................................................ 11 2.3 Transportation and Urban Form ...................................................................................................... 13 2.3.1. Global Urbanization ..................................................................................................................... 13 2.3.2. The Urban Form ........................................................................................................................... 14 2.3.3. Evolution of Transportation and Urban Form ............................................................................... 16 2.3.4. The Spatial Imprint of Urban Transportation ................................................................................ 18 2.3.5 Transportation / Land Use Relationships ....................................................................................... 20 2.4 Urban Transit .................................................................................................................................. 21 2.5 The Rail Transport............................................................................................................................ 23 2.5.1 Overview ...................................................................................................................................... 23 2.6 Global Trends in Rail Transport Development ................................................................................. 25 2.6.1 Ancient world ............................................................................................................................... 25 vii 2.6.2 Early railways ............................................................................................................................... 25 2.6.3 Steam power introduced ................................................................................................................ 27 2.6.4 The Birth of the Railway ................................................................................................................ 29 2.6.5 Further Development .................................................................................................................... 31 2.6.6 Expanding network ....................................................................................................................... 32 2.6.7 The first Russian railway .............................................................................................................. 32 2.6.8 Railroad growth in the United States 1830-1890............................................................................ 33 2.7 Diesel and electric engines ............................................................................................................... 34 2.7.1 Electric railways revolutionize urban transport .............................................................................. 34 2.7.2 Diesel power ................................................................................................................................