NMS Sets New Operation Date For Green Park Terminal

Green Park Terminus at the Old Railways Club in Nairobi
Green Park Terminus at the Old Railways Club in Nairobi
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The Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS) headed by Gen Mohammed Badi has set a new date for the start of operations at the famed Green Park Terminal.

Speaking to the Standard on Thursday, January 13, NMS Director of Transport and Public Works, Michael Ochieng, who is in charge of the project, noted that the bus terminus will officially start operating in the month of March.

Ochieng explained that operations had stalled due to the ongoing constructions works on the Uhuru Highway and the Haile Selassie Avenue scheduled to conclude in three months.

An image of a bus terminus
The Green Park terminus under construction at the Railways club along Haile Selassie Avenue.
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He noted that the delay in operations was greatly affected by the Nairobi Expressway project - a flagship project of President Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee administration.

‘‘We had to stall a bit due to the ongoing construction of the Nairobi Expressway which passes nearby," he stated.

Ochieng explained that the full implementation was halted due to teething problems experienced during the test run period, adding that NMS had to rethink the whole rollout plan.

‘‘When we did the last test run three months ago, there was a traffic snarl-up, forcing us to go back to the drawing board to redesign traffic flow around that area,’’ Ochieng explained.

The terminus, located opposite the Railway Club, will be a drop-off and pick-up point for matatus plying Ngong and Lang’ata roads.

It was one of the projects launched by NMS aimed at reducing traffic in the Central Business District (CBD).

The project was started in November 2020. It was projected to cost Ksh250 million. According to NMS, the parking project is fitted with an integrated electronic system.

The platform is designed to notify matatu operators when each vehicle can make it way to the terminus and when commuters can be picked up or dropped off.

During the test run period, commuters complained of disorganisation as the whole process turned chaotic.

Other than the Green Park Terminus, Bunyala and Workshop Road terminal will be commissioned in March or April.

"The terminal is already complete and will be commissioned almost the same time with the Green Park," added Ochieng.

According to the NMS Director of Transport and Public Works, the Desai and Park Road termini in Ngara will be commissioned a week after Green Park. They will serve matatus plying the Thika Superhighway.

President Uhuru Kenyatta (in green shirt) and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga (in a brown shirt) at Green Park Terminus on Thursday, April 1, 2021.
President Uhuru Kenyatta (in green shirt) and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga (in a brown shirt) at Green Park Terminus on Thursday, April 1, 2021.
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