APM Terminals has opened up a new inland container freight station (CFS) near to Kenya’s primary port of Mombasa, in a bid to reduce huge traffic jams posing a severe obstacle to cargo flow in and out of the country.
Mombasa is a major trade gateway for interior landlocked African countries including Uganda and South Sudan, so the traffic issue is one that the operator is keen to resolve.
APMT is one of the largest private port operators in Africa and the CFS is part of the strategy to collaborate with governments and local partners to help improve infrastructure to increase the competitiveness of local transport services and ultimately help improve container throughput.
Jesper Boll, regional manager, APM Terminals Inland Services, said: “Huge traffic jams are experienced every day at the Makupa causeway, the Changamwe roundabout and all the way to Nairobi. Our key location on the Nairobi - Mombasa highway helps the local community by easing traffic congestion and reducing time spent by importers picking up cargo in the port."
The new freight station, which is 7.3 hectares in size and is located just two and a half miles from the port, is a joint venture between APMT and Kenya’s Great Lakes Ports Ltd.
It has direct rail links both to the port and inland commercial centres at Nairobi and Kampala. Each train movement will take the place of around 40 truck movements, meaning that it's not only an effective measure to improve productivity but also more eco-friendly too.
