Lorries are still transporting more cargo from the port of Mombasa compared to Standard Gauge Railway trains, a report says.
The weekly report by the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) shows that 6,509 twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) were delivered by road compared to 4,887 TEUs by the SGR freight service.
KPA Head of Corporate Affairs Benard Osero said it was the trend the world over, where road transport carries more cargo than rail.
“At its best, once SGR is fully completed, the maximum cargo it can haul cannot exceed 40 per cent of the total cargo at the port. In essence, road transport will always have adequate business. Therefore, truck owners have no reason to worry, especially as far as the last mile is concerned,” Mr Osero said.
Transporters were said to prefer using lorries because SGR did not have the capacity. The port receives at least 5,000 containers every day. Out of these, the eight trains are able to transport 800 containers (108 each) a day.
Read more on The Standard.
