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Kenya is tunneling its way to sub-regional integration

At 4.5km, the tunnel will be the longest in the region.

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Kenya is currently burrowing what would be the longest tunnel in East Africa as part of the Standard Gauge Railway construction Phase 2A.

At 4.5km, the tunnel is the longest in the region and is situated at Embulbul, Ngong where construction is ongoing.

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SGR Phase 2A (Nairobi-Naivasha) runs across parts of Nairobi, Kajiado, Kiambu, Nakuru and Narok counties and covers a distance of 120 km.

4 tunnels will be constructed along the Nairobi- Naivasha section of the SGR line as part of the Lapsset corridor program

The LAPSSET Corridor Program is Eastern Africa’s largest and most ambitious infrastructure project bringing together Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

This mega project consists of seven key infrastructure projects starting with a new 32 Berth port at Lamu (Kenya); Interregional Highways from Lamu to Isiolo, Isiolo to Juba (South Sudan), Isiolo to Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), and Lamu to Garsen (Kenya).

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Interregional Standard Gauge Railway lines from Lamu to Isiolo, Isiolo to Juba, Isiolo to Addis Ababa, and Nairobi to Isiolo as well as 3 International Airports: one each at Lamu, Isiolo, and Lake Turkana.

Kenya’s tunnel does not however even compare with the world's longest railway tunnel under the Swiss Alps.

At 57-kilometer (35.4-mile), Gotthard Railway Tunnel is the longest in the world and took 17 years to build at a cost of 12.2 billion Swiss francs ($12 billion)

It is a major engineering achievement deep under the Alps' snow-capped peaks and was burrowed to improve European trade and travel.

It was officially opened for use in 2016 and its impact will be felt across Europe for decades.

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In Africa, the longest longest rail tunnel is situated in South Africa.

At 13.5 kilometres (8.4 miles), Hexton is the longest and consists of four tunnels, three passing loops and a road-over-rail bridge.

It is a railway route between De Doorns and Kleinstraat through the Hex River Mountains of the Western Cape Province, South Africa.

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