East Africa: CMA CGM Launches a New Dedicated Rail Service in Kenya, Strengthening Its Presence in East Africa

What the report says

CMA CGM has launched its first dedicated full block rail service in Kenya, linking the Port of Mombasa with the Nairobi-Embakasi Inland Container Depot. The company said the new route is intended to improve movement between Kenya’s main seaport and inland markets, while strengthening its logistics presence in East Africa. The service was announced through InfoWire content distributed by AllAfrica and is reported to have begun on 28 October.

According to the report, the train uses 54 wagons and can carry 108 twenty-foot equivalent units. It will start with one weekly trip carrying containerized imports from Mombasa to Nairobi-Embakasi, with the possibility of adding more frequency and later introducing a return service. The initiative was developed with the Kenya Ports Authority and Kenya Railways Corporation, reflecting cooperation between a private shipping and logistics company and Kenya’s transport institutions.

The launch ceremony included officials from Kenya’s transport ministry, the port authority, Kenya Railways and the French embassy, along with senior CMA CGM executives. The company said the project is part of a broader effort to connect sea freight with inland transport and support trade flows into the country’s economic centers.

The report also places the rail service within CMA CGM’s wider Kenya operations, including training and community projects supported by its foundation. More generally, such intermodal links can help reduce congestion and improve supply-chain efficiency, though the article does not provide operational performance data for the new route.