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Plans to build a Sh28 billion Nairobi Railways City, a major urban development project, have received a major boost following bilateral talks held in London.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who is leading a Kenya delegation to the UK, has said that the partnership between the two countries to realise the railway project will go a long way in placing Nairobi and the country as a key economic hub regionally and globally.

Once completed, the Nairobi Railways City is expected to handle at least 30,000 every day.

“What we want to achieve with the co-operation and partnership between Kenya and the UK is to make sure we have a new and modern railway station set up as soon as possible,” said Mudavadi.

“This is not only about the horizontal movement of people but is also about completely altering the economic activities around the railway stations.

What we have seen at Kings Cross rail station in London, is a hub that brings about 50,000 people a day to deal with commerce, commute and handle other economic issues and this has generated a new eco-system around that area,” he added.

The iconic climate-resilient urban development project will be the first of its kind in Africa and is expected to provide seamless integration to the city’s transport nodes through an expanded Central Station, new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines and stations as well as a revamped matatu termini that will allow city residents clear transit pathways in and out of the Central Business District.