The completion of the second phase of Standard Gauge Railway has boosted passenger numbers to 1.9 million for the first nine months of the year, as it looks set to surpass 2022 numbers.
New data released by the SGR show that so far since the rail officially began operations in 2017 more than 11,155,000 passengers have been dispatched.
From June 2017 until June 11, this year Madaraka Express transported an astounding 10,335,919 passengers, covering approximately 7,358,241 kilometres.
According to Kenya Railways, the rise in demand for the train service shows more Kenyan travelers are seeking reliability, affordability, and speed while shuttling between Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, and Mombasa, the coastal tourist destination.
Kenya Railways general manager in charge of infrastructure development Eng. Tobias Otieno says that the SGR phase two has added an average of 2560 passenger monthly.
“We are operating an average of 4 coaches which move twice a week and we are having around 80 per coach so that has brought in high passenger numbers that have contributed to the over 11 million passengers moved so far on the SGR,” said Tobias.
He was speaking on the sidelines of an experiential tour of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) by a group of Nairobi-based diplomats.
The excursion by the thirteen diplomats included stops at key SGR facilities before it culminated in a train ride to Mombasa.
The diplomats were taken through how Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) has put in place adequate measures to ensure vibrant and seamless operations on both cargo and passenger trains.
The delegation included the Special Assistant to the Executive Director of UN-Habitat Runze Wang, the Ambassador of China to Kenya Zhou Pingjian, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Kenya Dmitry Maksimychev, representing the Islamic Republic of Iran was Jafar Barmaki, second secretary of India Vijay Kumar and the High Commissioner of South Africa to Kenya Mninwa Mahlangu.
As part of its sixth year celebration SGR said that as of September 30, 2023, it had achieved railroad safely for 2,314 days.
In the period it has also transported 2.405 million standard containers and 28.609 million tons of goods.
And a total of 11.155 million passengers, with an average seat occupancy rate of 95.8 percent.
The highest number of passengers transported in a single day has exceeded 10,000, while the punctuality rate has been as high as 99.9 percent.
The SGR constitutes the initial component of the East African Railway Network, a regional project led by Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. It plays a crucial role in the Northern Corridor infrastructure, facilitating efficient transportation to and from the port of Mombasa.
The 592 km – track runs from Mombasa to Nairobi, before terminating in the Rift Valley town of Naivasha at Suswa.
The construction of the first phase, comprising 472 kilometers and running from Mombasa to Nairobi begun on December 12, 2014 and was completed two and half years later, ahead of schedule, before its launch on May 31, 2017.
The construction of Phase 2A, running from Nairobi to Naivasha, with a total of 120 kilometers, began in October 2016 and was completed on October 16, 2019.
