Kenya, November 3rd – Kenya Railways has introduced a second trip on the Madaraka Express Passenger Service, five months after the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway became operational.
The new service launched on Wednesday departed the Nairobi and Mombasa Termini at 3.30 pm.
It will act as an express train complementing the existing morning service which has now been transformed into an inter county train service, departing at 8am from both Nairobi and Mombasa termini, and stopping at all the seven intermediate stations.
Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development Cabinet Secretary James Macharia, who officiated the launch of the service, said that the new service is part of measures to increase access and lower the cost of transport across the country.
“Since its launch five months ago, the Madaraka Express has endeavored to lower the cost of transport and make it more affordable for Kenyans to travel for both business and leisure,” Macharia said.
The service has moved over 337,000 passengers between the port city of Mombasa and Nairobi, with the number growing daily, the CS noted.
“We are currently performing at over 90 per cent with regards to passenger numbers, and by introducing this additional service, we expect to measure up to the type of service the public has demanded since we launched the passenger service in June,” he said.
The Mombasa- Nairobi line was constructed by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) at a cost of Ksh327 billion.
CS Macharia said on Wednesday strides have been made by Kenya Railways, together with the operator CRBC, to improve the service since its commencement.
“Over time, KR and CRBC have introduced a number of initiatives that we hope, have made your Madaraka Experience better. They have introduced various ticket booking platforms, meaning you no longer have to physically visit the termini to purchase your tickets,” Macharia said.
Other initiatives the CS noted include extension of the booking window, and allowing bulk ticket purchases.
“By introducing this second train, we hope to make it more difficult for middle men to take advantage of Kenyans by doubling the availability of train tickets as well as the daily train capacity,” Macharia said.
The CS condemned vandalism that has been noted along the SGR line, calling upon Kenyans to protect their national projects and thereby, grow the economy.
The launch was also graced by the Chinese ambassador to Kenya, Liu Xianfa, who in his remarks stated that with the joint efforts of various ministries, National Police Service, CRBC and the operations team, Madaraka Express Service continues to meet the increasing need of the market and the people.
“The launch of the Madaraka Express afternoon service is just another example to showcase the smooth and satisfactory performance in fulfilling its responsibilities. I am proud and confident that the service will not be only a road to our win-win cooperation and a road to prosperous development, but also a road of friendship,” he said.
The Ambassador was flanked by key dignitaries from the Chinese Embassy, alongside CRBC Operations Chairman Li Quanhuai.
Also at the event was the Kenya Railways Board, with Director Hellen Wamuiga stating that the introduction of the full operations was a step in ensuring that Kenya Railways meets the passenger demands.
“With the roll out of the second service, Kenya Railways and the Operator will be able to fully gauge the demand for travel in the interest of introducing the final frequencies and service schedules,” Wamuiga said.
“The Madaraka Express has already had significant impact on both domestic and international tourism and in this regard, will gauge the expected increase in demand during the upcoming festive season with a view to creating provisional train services to meet the expected increase in demand,” she added.
Apart from the passenger service, the corporation has also been engaged by the Kenyan government to transport relief food from the Port of Mombasa to the Inland Container Deport in Nairobi, for easy distribution to other parts of the country.
This has served as the testing phase for the freight service and to date, approximately 120,000 tonnes of cereals have been transported.
The corporation plans to commence testing phase for commercial cargo this month with full commercial operations on the freight service planned for 2018.
The freight service is expected to lower the cost of cargo transport by up to 35 per cent between the port of Mombasa and the Nairobi ICD.
It is expected that this cost saving will be passed on to consumers with the cost of transport and logistics thought to account for up to 40 per cent of the cost of goods and services.
Currently, importers are paying up to Ksh100,000 to move a container from Mombasa to Nairobi.
The passenger train has reduced the travel time between the two cities by half, where it currently takes about four and a half hours compared to a bus trip, which takes passengers an average of nine to 10 hours.
By Martin Mwita
