#ASDailyScoop: Kenya gears up to construct $13.8 billion railway connecting to Ethiopia

Addis Abeba – Kenya is gearing up to launch a monumental $13.8 billion high-speed electric railway project, aiming to connect its Indian Ocean port of Lamu with Ethiopia and South Sudan, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Its construction set to begin in 2025, the railway, covers a vast 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles), and will bridge the new port to the central Kenyan town of Isiolo and extend its reach to Nairobi, Addis Ababa and Juba.

As reported by Bloomberg, this railway project forms a crucial part of a larger $22 billion Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor, an ambitious infrastructure project bringing together Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan, which was launched in 2012 and delayed due to several constraints.

Last week, during a visit to Kenya, Ethiopia’s Minister for Transport and Logistics, Alemu Sime, expressed his country’s interest in using the Lamu Port signaling a renewed focus on the LAPSSET corridor. AS