(CNN) It's been billed as the most ambitious project in Kenya since it gained independence in 1963.
Now, the first section of the east African nation's $13.8 billion railway is nearly finished.
Originally planned to link Mombasa and Nairobi, the decision was made to extend the line to the market town of Naivasha in 2015, and 75% of civil works have reportedly been completed. This first Mombasa-Nairobi stretch will be completed by June 2017, consulting firm CPCS told CNN.
It is hoped that the track will shorten the journey between the two cities from 12 hours to four hours. Passenger trains will travel at 120km/h, and freight trains will be able to carry 25 million tonnes per year, according to the International Railway Journal.
Eventually, the East Africa Railway Masterplan will link Mombasa with other major east African cities such as Kampala, in Uganda, and Juba, in South Sudan.
Planned extent of railway
Investment from China
The East Africa Railway Masterplan is being managed by the East Africa Community; an intergovernmental organization of six partner states; Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, which aims to create a politically united and secure East Africa.
Management consulting firm CPCS advised the East Africa Community on the financial, legal and economic impact of the project.
The railway is being built by the state-owned China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), 90% of the ongoing development of the Mombasa-Nairobi section is being financed by The Export-Import Bank of China.
Kenya's $50 billion megaprojects
Kenya is already an infrastructure powerhouse of East Africa -- leading the region for
investment. But the next few years may see a quantum leap forward, with tens of billions of dollars to be spent on some of the world's most spectacular transport, energy and technology projects -- such as the new Mombasa rail station (above).
Through a program entitled
Kenya Vision 2030, the government hopes to deliver a "newly industrialized, middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens by 2030."
Whether this ambitious goal will actually be achieved remains to be seen. But the following ventures certainly bear the potential to transform the landscape.
The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has been described as the most ambitious project in Kenya's independent history -- replacing the antiquated tracks left by the British regime.
Around
$4 billion has been invested in 600 kilometers of raised track connecting the hub cities of Nairobi and Mombasa, but it is hoped the line will be a net contributor to the economy for years to come. The SGR should be open for business in 2017.
The SGR project also includes the construction of state-of-the-art new passenger stations at Nairobi, Voi, and Mombasa.
Jomo Kenyatta International -- Kenya's premier airport -- is to receive multiple upgrades.
A new greenfield terminal designed by architects
Pascall + Watson will be the largest in Africa when it opens in 2017, serving 20 million passengers a year, at a cost of around $650 million.
A second runway will be inaugurated the same year.
The multi-faceted Lamu Port and Lamu-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor (LAPSSET) project is as big as the name suggests, with an outlay of
$23 billion across three countries.
The city of Lamu at the southern end of the Corridor is a cornerstone of the project. It will be transformed into a trade hub through the construction of a new 32-berth port, which will be used to supply locations along the line.
One of the most lucrative commodities to travel the route will be crude oil, through a new pipeline that connects Kenya's oil fields in Turkana Basin with Ugandan and South Sudanese sites. A new refinery will also be constructed.
Highways are another key component of Lapsset, with hundreds of kilometers of pristine, new road laid to facilitate transport of goods and people.
The Isiolo -- Marsabit -- Moyale stretch (above) has been completed, connecting to Ethiopia, and facilitating travel to Kenya's safari parks.
The LAPSSET project will also see three resort cities constructed in Lamu, Isiolo and Lokichogio.
The new sites will be pitched at affluent visitors -- with luxury hotels, entertainment and wildlife reserves.
The much-hyped
Konza Tech City - or "Silicon Savannah" - is hoped to be a world-class hub of entrepreneurship.
The $15 billion site, set in 5,000 acres to the south of Nairobi, will accommodate almost 200,000 people, complete with universities, research facilities, and IT centers.
Several delays have marred the project and discouraged some investors, but the government
maintains the site will be operational in April 2017.
Kenya has embraced geothermal energy in a big way, aiming to serve one-quarter of its energy needs through this source.
New ventures such as the Ol-Karia IV power plant (pictured) make it one of the world's leading producers, and
investment is set to increase.
Apart from Jomo Kenyatta, several smaller airports are undergoing major upgrades.
The provincial Isiolo airport is receiving a new terminal building and a new runway, in anticipation of higher visitor numbers.
The
largest mall in East Africa will open in Nairobi in March. The 62,000 square meter facility will include housing, hotels, office space and -- of course -- extravagant shopping.
The hope is that this new railway will reduce congestion on Kenya's crowded road network, and promote tourism.
This railway is the most expensive of a series of construction projects in Africa.
According to Deloitte, more than $131 billion was spent on transportation construction on the continent in 2015; by 2025, $200 billion is expected to be spent on the continent's roads, and another $7 billion dollars on African airports.
China has been investing in other projects in Africa, including a mega port in Lamu, Kenya, and a manufacturing zone in Ethiopia.
Trillion dollar deals: The China-Africa partnership in pictures
Trade and partnership deals between African countries and China have been steadily increasing in recent years. Chinese investment is already the leading source of
infrastructure spending in Africa, and through China's import-export bank projects that investment will reach
$1 trillion by 2025.
Trade has become increasingly diverse, as typified by
recent deals to export elephants from Zimbabwe to China. President Robert Mugabe's government sold 24 elephants to Chinese zoos in 2015, and despite protests from animal welfare groups, the figure will climb again this year.
Click through to see how the partnership is having an impact across the continent. Figures from
UN COMTRADE data.
In addition to elephants, Zimbabwe also exports vast quantities of raw tobacco to China. Sales reached a new peak of $575 million in 2014.
In return, China supplies Zimbabwe with telephone equipment worth over $50 million, and a range of construction equipment.
Benin is the leading importer of wigs in Africa, spending $411 million in 2014 on Chinese-made fake hair.
The tiny state was also by far the continent's largest buyer of cotton from China, worth $852 million.
Nigeria accounts for the most umbrella imports, with trade worth $39 million in 2014. The state also took $139 million of refrigerators from China.
Morocco supported one of the country's most popular habits with tea imports from China worth $211 million in 2014, the most of any African state.
Ethiopia supplied its booming construction industry by importing railway track materials worth $60 million in 2014, the highest spend in Africa.
South Africa was the leading importer of bicycles in 2014, with trade valued at $23 million. Libya followed close behind with $11 million worth of Chinese bikes.
Liberia imported ships worth a continent-high $833 million in 2014, in most cases through the famous port of Monrovia.
China's scarves have found their largest African market in Egypt, which imported supplies worth $45 million in 2014. The nations also have a healthy exchange of carpets, with multi-million dollar supplies traveling in both directions.
A recent report from the Centre for Chinese Studies at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town documented increased Chinese investment in real estate in South Africa and Mauritius, worth
around $740 million in the island state since 2005.
China has also invested heavily in cultural projects across Africa.
Theaters have been a priority area, including Senegal's new 1800-seat Grand National in Dakar (pictured), largely funded through Chinese aid.
'Stadium diplomacy' has been another feature of Chinese investment, with new arenas in Cameroon, Ghana, and Angola's November 11 stadium in Luanda (pictured).
Dozens of African hospitals have been built with Chinese funds in recent years. President Xi Jinping inaugurated this hospital and a new university library in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, in 2013.
The headquarters of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was built with $200 million of Chinese state funds.
China's largest commitments in Africa are to infrastructure projects, such as Nigeria's $8.3 billion Lagos-Kano rail line, largely funded through Chinese loans.
Ghana has been able to mitigate electricity shortages through the Bui Dam on its Western border, which incorporates a 400-megawatt hydropower plant. The $600 million project was constructed by the Sino Hydro company, supported by Chinese state loans.
China has supplied credit worth over $2 billion to an oil refinery project in Angola, although this has been hit with delays.
The 50-kilometer, eight-lane Thika superhighway was built by Chinese state-owned construction firm Wu Yi in 2012, and supported with Chinese funding.
Wildlife sanctuary controversy
Controversy has not been absent, however, from the new railway: initially, the proposed route would cut into Nairobi's wildlife sanctuary.
A deal was made between wildlife officials and the Kenyan government, according to the Guardian, that the track would be walled off.
It remains to be seen if the railway will have as big an economic impact as predicted.
In November 2013, Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta laid the foundation stone for the construction, telling local media; "The project will define my legacy as president of Kenya. What we are doing here today will most definitely transform... not only Kenya but the whole eastern African region."