Freight volumes between Mombasa and Kampala are set to increase as more locomotives are added to the Kenya-Uganda railway by the Rift Valley Railways (RVR) consortium.

At least 500 freight wagons, at a cost of $27 million, will increase capacity, with a loan to purchase the stock secured from South Africa’s Standard bank. Twenty locomotives are due to arrive in June.

RVR’s CEO, Carlos Andrade said that the company was trying to improve its efficiency, with the rail sector needing large scale investment. He said that growth areas included the transportation of fuel, grain and steel, which would accelerate over the next 12 months.

According to Andrade, RVR’s total investment stands at $280 million, which will be concluded by year-end. He explained that many challenges had to be overcome in order to secure the investments and implement its projects. RVR says it has invested more than Shs 456bn in rail since 2012.