Innovative Designs of Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway

Mombasa–Nairobi standard gauge railway (SGR) is constructed under China's standards as a modern railway in Kenya and also as the largest infrastructure in Kenya since its independence, with a total length of nearly 480 km. In the construction process by Chinese companies, innovative designs have been playing a leading role. The innovative designs are mainly reflected in the following three aspects: the innovative concept of Nairobi inland container depot(ICD) breaks through the shackles of traditional transportation concept, easing the pressure to Port Reitz of Mombasa and providing sufficient traffic volume to SGR; The architectural innovative design of stations interprets African regional culture, expresses National Spirit of Kenya and displays modern style by perfectly combining technology, art, national spirit and African culture; The innovation of environmental protection achieves by defining key environmental protection areas, setting up corresponding animal migration channels and fences for animals, and avoiding the secondary division of habitats for wild animals and plants. The ideas, methods and approaches of innovative design of SGR displayed in this paper can provide reference for relevant engineering construction.