Hundreds of commuters were on Tuesday morning left stranded after a commuter train was involved in an accident which left one person dead.
The accident occurred at the Avenue Park Estate junction after the train rammed a truck that was crossing the railway line killig the truck driver on the spot.
Wreckage from the scene of the incident showed a completely dismantled lorry with its parts scattered on both sides of the railway track while the train only got a slight dent.
The commuter train, which operates between Embakasi, Pipeline and Donholm railway stations, was headed to pick commuters destined for the city centre.
Many commuters were left to grapple with higher matatu fares to reach their destinations.
A single trip in the train will normally cost a commuter Sh40 to the city centre while matatus charge Sh100 for the same trip.
Last year, a similar accident happened at the same spot when a commuter train rammed a Citi Hoppa bus but casualties were reported.
In 2018, a train hit an oil tanker near Pipeline Estate in Nairobi leading to a major traffic snarl up on the Outer Ring Road, which left one person seriously injured.
The accident comes soon after the Kenya Railways Corporation said the new Embakasi, Pipeline and Donholm railway stations are now operational as part of the State agency’s plans to ease transport for city residents.
The three were among 10 new park-and-ride stations that are being upgraded as KRC seeks to increase its monthly commuters from current 300,000 to more than two million in the next two years.
SOURCE: https://allafrica.com/stories/202011030817.html
