It's Me Scumbag
Elder Lister
The Transit Girl
Trains, maps, and transit theory. Known in most places as @evannakita. 24, she/her, NYC!
She says she has never been to Nairobi,Kenya. She fears @Kasaman @Ngimanene na Muchere na wengineo.
But this is her idea of a urban rail system for Nairobi.
Nairobi Metro Fantasy Map, Version 2
I definitely didn’t expect to have one of my maps go viral in Nairobi, but I’m very much grateful for Mbithi Masya’s showcase of my map! I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from Nairobians, and I’ve updated the map to account for it!
my maps Kenya Nairobi metro light rail commuter rail transit map trains
Nairobi Metro Fantasy Map
When I posted my Kenya Railways map earlier today, I said that I was tempted to make a fantasy map for a Nairobi metro system. And I ended up cranking one out way more quickly than I expected to!
I’ve never actually been to Nairobi (and given the state of LGBT rights in Kenya I might not ever be able to go), so I don’t claim to have a good understanding of the city’s geography—so this is mostly just me doing my best with a mixture of Google Maps and Apple Maps to try to estimate commute patterns from the street grid.
With that being said, let’s get into the routes. I’m envisioning this system as light rail—where some segments use the existing commuter rail right-of-way, some segments run in streets or medians, and there are a few tunnels. The colors of the Purple and Blue Lines were chosen arbitrarily, while the colors of the other three were chosen to make the flag of Kenya in the central trunk line.
EDIT 16 MARCH 2022: Hello to all the folks coming to this post from Mbithi Masya’s showcase of the map—thanks so much for showcasing the map, Mbithi!
I’m hoping to make a second version based on all the feedback I’ve been getting. So far, Rongai and Ngong are definitely gonna be included, and I’ll probably be making some tweaks to the Green Line.
I’ll also be polishing up the map’s visuals—I didn’t put too much effort into them because I never really expected people to see this, and I’m incredibly happy to have been proven wrong.
EDIT 16 March 2022: I’ve released an updated version of the map! Check it out here.
Kenya Nairobi metro light rail transit map trains
31 notes
Kenya Railways System Map
Kenya’s rail system is pretty dang interesting, and is also a great illustration of how important track gauge can be. Nairobi’s commuter rail network runs on the historic meter-gauge lines, as does the Nairobi to Nanyuki train. The Madaraka Express, however, runs on newer standard-gauge lines.
The new standard gauge tracks replaced old meter gauge tracks along the same routes, with the benefit of effectively halving the travel time—but the flipside is that the trains can no longer use the existing meter gauge tracks, and so the Madaraka Express must stop at Nairobi Terminus (at the edge of the city), requiring a transfer to the Nairobi Commuter Rail to continue the rest of the way to Nairobi Central Station.
In addition, some routes on the old meter gauge network have completely ceased passenger service in advance of the extension of the Nairobi to Suswa standard-gauge line, meaning a lot of towns (some of them pretty large) won’t be served by any passenger trains until the new line opens. So here’s hoping that doesn’t take too long!
One more thought: most of the Nairobi commuter rail routes are remarkably short. The Nairobi to Lukenya route is only thirty miles long, and it’s the longest in the commuter rail system. The two most frequent routes (to Embakasi Village and Syokimau) are each less than ten miles long. Considering how Nairobi has the population of Los Angeles but a tiny fraction of the cars, this network is tiny—it’s the service area of a subway system, but with the coverage and frequency of commuter rail. Nairobi’s a beautiful city, and deserves a much better network than this.
Kenya Kenya Railways trains transit map railway Nairobi my maps
18 notes
For further reading:
thetransitgirl.tumblr.com
Trains, maps, and transit theory. Known in most places as @evannakita. 24, she/her, NYC!
She says she has never been to Nairobi,Kenya. She fears @Kasaman @Ngimanene na Muchere na wengineo.
But this is her idea of a urban rail system for Nairobi.
Nairobi Metro Fantasy Map, Version 2
I definitely didn’t expect to have one of my maps go viral in Nairobi, but I’m very much grateful for Mbithi Masya’s showcase of my map! I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from Nairobians, and I’ve updated the map to account for it!
- I’ve added several commuter rail routes to serve some of the smaller suburbs, and to connect the outer regions of the metro area to each other. Some routes are based on existing lines while others would be new.
- I’ve extended the Purple Line down Langata Rd, to serve Wilson Airport and continue to Rongai and Kiserian. I’ve also sent the northeastern end to Githurai rather than Mwiki, with Mihango and Ruai being served by the commuter rail.
- I’ve extended the Green Line to Karen and Ngong, and I’ve also rerouted it through Kibera since Langata Hospital would now be served by the Purple Line.
- I’ve extended the Blue Line from Ruaka to Banana Hill, where it would provide a transfer to the commuter rail.
- I’ve truncated the Red Line to Gitaru rather than Wangige, since Wangige would be served by the commuter rail.
- I’ve added several additional stations along the existing routes, and I’ve updated a few station names. I know they’re still not all accurate, though, so definitely let me know of any errors you spot!
my maps Kenya Nairobi metro light rail commuter rail transit map trains
Nairobi Metro Fantasy Map
When I posted my Kenya Railways map earlier today, I said that I was tempted to make a fantasy map for a Nairobi metro system. And I ended up cranking one out way more quickly than I expected to!
I’ve never actually been to Nairobi (and given the state of LGBT rights in Kenya I might not ever be able to go), so I don’t claim to have a good understanding of the city’s geography—so this is mostly just me doing my best with a mixture of Google Maps and Apple Maps to try to estimate commute patterns from the street grid.
With that being said, let’s get into the routes. I’m envisioning this system as light rail—where some segments use the existing commuter rail right-of-way, some segments run in streets or medians, and there are a few tunnels. The colors of the Purple and Blue Lines were chosen arbitrarily, while the colors of the other three were chosen to make the flag of Kenya in the central trunk line.
- The Blue Line begins in Ruaka and follows Limuru Road to Two Rivers Mall and the Northern Bypass from there to Runda, before following United Nations Ave and tunneling under the Sigiria Forest to Westlands. From there, the route follows the Uhuru Highway all the way to Imara Daima, joining the Red Line along existing commuter rail tracks to Syokimau and continuing into a tunnel to the airport.
- The Purple Line begins in Mihango and follows the Eastern Bypass to Ruai and Kangundo Road from there to New Njiru Town, where it turns onto Komarock-Mwiki Road until the Kassarani West station at Thika Road, which it follows all the way to the Globe Roundabout. A quick jog along University Way takes it to join the Blue Line until Bunyala Road.
- The Black Line begins in Gitaru and follows the Uhuru Highway all the way to West Parklands, before taking Ojijo Road and Parklands Road to reach the Globe Roundabout. From there, it follows Tom Mboya Street to Central, where it joins the current commuter rail mainline and continues to Embakasi Village.
- The Red Line begins in Wangige and follows Highway C63 through Kikuyu, joining the existing commuter rail line just past the hospital. The route continues along the existing right-of-way through Central, and uses the same new tunnel as the Blue Line to get to the airport.
- The Green Line begins at Galleria Mall and follows Highway C63 to Langata East before tunneling to the existing commuter rail line at Mbagathi. From there, it follows the existing right-of-way all the way to Ruiru.
EDIT 16 MARCH 2022: Hello to all the folks coming to this post from Mbithi Masya’s showcase of the map—thanks so much for showcasing the map, Mbithi!
I’m hoping to make a second version based on all the feedback I’ve been getting. So far, Rongai and Ngong are definitely gonna be included, and I’ll probably be making some tweaks to the Green Line.
I’ll also be polishing up the map’s visuals—I didn’t put too much effort into them because I never really expected people to see this, and I’m incredibly happy to have been proven wrong.
EDIT 16 March 2022: I’ve released an updated version of the map! Check it out here.
Kenya Nairobi metro light rail transit map trains
31 notes
Kenya Railways System Map
Kenya’s rail system is pretty dang interesting, and is also a great illustration of how important track gauge can be. Nairobi’s commuter rail network runs on the historic meter-gauge lines, as does the Nairobi to Nanyuki train. The Madaraka Express, however, runs on newer standard-gauge lines.
The new standard gauge tracks replaced old meter gauge tracks along the same routes, with the benefit of effectively halving the travel time—but the flipside is that the trains can no longer use the existing meter gauge tracks, and so the Madaraka Express must stop at Nairobi Terminus (at the edge of the city), requiring a transfer to the Nairobi Commuter Rail to continue the rest of the way to Nairobi Central Station.
In addition, some routes on the old meter gauge network have completely ceased passenger service in advance of the extension of the Nairobi to Suswa standard-gauge line, meaning a lot of towns (some of them pretty large) won’t be served by any passenger trains until the new line opens. So here’s hoping that doesn’t take too long!
One more thought: most of the Nairobi commuter rail routes are remarkably short. The Nairobi to Lukenya route is only thirty miles long, and it’s the longest in the commuter rail system. The two most frequent routes (to Embakasi Village and Syokimau) are each less than ten miles long. Considering how Nairobi has the population of Los Angeles but a tiny fraction of the cars, this network is tiny—it’s the service area of a subway system, but with the coverage and frequency of commuter rail. Nairobi’s a beautiful city, and deserves a much better network than this.
Kenya Kenya Railways trains transit map railway Nairobi my maps
18 notes
For further reading:
The Transit Girl
Trains, maps, and transit theory. Known in most places as @evannakita. 26, she/her, NYC!
@10am the 
services are called the to the train @12pm there's a funeral service @langata cemetery @1pm Ngimanene orders for Ugali tumatumbo. Events occur in real time.