Kenya Railways adds SGR coaches on Christmas demand

Kenya Railways has increased passenger capacity on the standard gauge railway (SGR) train between Nairobi and Mombasa to cater for the rising demand during the Christmas festive season.

The company has increased coaches to 11 from eight for economy class passengers.

First-class passengers will also get an additional unit from the two coaches in operations.

The increased capacity from the extra coaches takes effect from December 9 to January 6, 2022.

The Madaraka Express train's bookings register shows it is fully booked for the Christmas season.

The train is currently pulling eight coaches (944 passengers) on economy class tickets and two coaches (144 passengers) on the first-class tickets.

Kenya Railways increases the number of coaches during the holiday seasons to meet demand surges.

Last month, the company said the trains had been fully booked up to December 24.

Fares on the economy class section are Sh1,000 with first-class tickets going for Sh3,000. 

Children below three years are not charged any fee to take a ride on the train while those from 3-11 years pay half the price adults pay on the economy and first-class tickets.

The SGR passenger train service between Nairobi and Mombasa was launched in June 2017.

The trains have been departing daily from both directions, offering a five-hour non-stop connection between the country’s two major cities.

The inter-county service train that was launched in 2018 charges Sh70 from Mombasa to Mariakani, Sh310 from Voi to Kibwezi, Sh220 from Athi River to Emali on economy class coaches.

On first-class, passengers have been paying Sh140 from Mombasa to Mariakani, Sh920 from Voi to Kibwezi, Sh660 from Athi River to Emali, Sh2, 130 from Nairobi to Voi and Sh1, 670 from Emali to Maisenyi.