Nairobi has greenlit two metro lines — a 10 km underground CBD loop and a 13 km elevated Eastlands corridor — at a cost of US $7.8 billion, finally turning a transit dream first floated in 1948 into an approved plan.
Nairobi is getting a metro. The Nairobi County executive, led by Governor Johnson Sakaja, approved Phase 1 of the Nairobi Metropolitan Mass Rapid Transit System (NMRTS) on July 22, 2026. President William Ruto has since endorsed the project at the national level, putting two metro lines on the path from concept to construction — marking the first time an East African city has committed to building a metro-grade rapid transit system.
Two Lines, Two Technologies
The approved Phase 1 covers roughly 30 kilometres across two corridors. The first is a 10-kilometre circular underground line with eight stations serving Nairobi's Central Business District — routing through Upper Hill, Kenyatta National Hospital, Parliament, City Hall, Kenyatta Avenue, Railways/Muthurwa, University Way, and Museum Hill. The second is a 13-kilometre, mostly elevated Eastlands Line running northeast from the CBD into the city's densely populated eastern suburbs.
Together, the two lines will include approximately 25 stations and integrate with existing Bus Rapid Transit routes and Kenya's commuter rail network. Later phases would extend the system westward to Westlands and Sarit Centre, south to Lang'ata, and along Ngong Road.
A KSh 1 Trillion Investment
Phase 1 carries a price tag of approximately KSh 1 trillion — about US $7.8 billion — broken down as $6.5 billion for infrastructure and $900 million for rolling stock. The project will be delivered through a public-private partnership, with the national government contributing an estimated $3 billion. Additional funding is expected from pension funds and transport-oriented development investments around station sites.
Detailed planning is scheduled to conclude by 2027, procurement to begin in 2028, and construction to start by 2030. Opening is targeted for 2034-2035.
78 Years in the Making
Nairobi's metro dream is not new. The idea of a mass rapid transit system for the Kenyan capital was first proposed in 1948 — 78 years before this approval. Multiple plans have come and gone in the decades since, shelved by funding constraints, political shifts, and competing priorities. What makes this attempt different, proponents argue, is the combination of county-level cabinet approval, explicit presidential backing, and a defined PPP funding framework rather than dependence on a single funding source.
Nairobi's traffic congestion has worsened dramatically over those 78 years. The city's population has grown from roughly 120,000 in 1948 to over 5 million today, while its road network has not kept pace. The NMRTS is designed to pull hundreds of thousands of daily commuters off the roads and onto rail.
Connection to Bengaluru
Bengaluru and Nairobi share a striking parallel: both are fast-growing cities where road infrastructure has not matched population growth, and both have turned to metro rail as the solution. Bengaluru's Namma Metro started its own long journey in the early 2000s, opened its first stretch in 2011, and now operates 73.81 kilometres across two lines — with a third (the Pink Line) expected to begin service by September 2026 and a Phase 3 Outer Ring Road orbital line in planning.
The technology choice is familiar too. Nairobi's underground CBD line will face the same engineering challenges Bengaluru navigated when tunnelling the Purple Line underground section through the city centre. The PPP model Nairobi is adopting mirrors elements of Bengaluru's own Phase 3 proposals. If Nairobi follows through, it will join a growing list of cities in the Global South — Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune, Nagpur, Lucknow — that have built metro systems in the 21st century.
Key Numbers
- CBD Underground Line: 10 km circular route, 8 stations
- Eastlands Elevated Line: 13 km, mostly elevated
- Total Phase 1: ~30 km, ~25 stations
- Cost: KSh 1 trillion (~US $7.8 billion)
- Infrastructure: $6.5 billion | Rolling stock: $900 million
- Funding: PPP model, ~$3 billion from national government
- Timeline: Planning through 2027, procurement 2028, construction 2030, opening 2034-2035
- First proposed: 1948 — 78 years before approval
Sources
- Railway Gazette International — Two metro lines approved in Nairobi
- The Star (Kenya) — Sakaja cabinet approves Phase I of Nairobi Metropolitan Mass Rapid Transit System
- Kenyans.co.ke — Ruto Reveals New Details of Nairobi's 30 km Underground Railway With 25 Stations
- Kenya Times — Ruto Endorses Nairobi Metropolitan Mass Rapid Transit System
- KDRTV — Nairobi Approves First Underground Rail Line to Ease Traffic Gridlock